Mass Effect: Guardian Rising
by general-joseph-dickson
Summary: Sequel to Rise of the Paladin. Being the daughter of the Hero of Sanxi and the granddaughter of the only general to ever surrender to an alien force has never been easy. When the Geth attack Eden Prime all plans for a simple future disappear.
1. Chapter 1

**MASS EFFECT: Guardian Rising**

 **Summary:** _Nothing was ever simple for Ashley Williams, granddaughter of General Williams, who bravely defended his men during the siege of the human colony Sanxi. When her father leaves under mysterious circumstances questions arise, when she interacts with a Prothean Beacon and is assigned to the SSV Normandy everything begins to unravel for her and the crew._

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Mass Effect, I do own the OC's.**

 **Authors Note:** This **IS** the second part of the "Rise of the Paladin" Series. This will be a long series. For those of you who have waited, Rise of the Paladin set up one half of the equation, this sets up the other half.

 **Chapter 0- The Foundation**

 **2173**

The colony world of Sirona was a marvelous planet in the small and unspectacular 61 Ursae Majoris system. There was one bright spot under the faint orange and yellow glow of the small star, a small house sitting on a hill on the edges of a small town.

A man appeared to be in his early thirties but his eyes shone with wisdom long past his young appearance. Beside him stood a young teenage girl, proud with her hands behind her back. It was a quiet moment with both of them staring over the field blowing in the breeze, neither speaking for the longest time for fearing it would be the last time.

Finally after some time the silence was broken by the young girl with one simple question "Why do you have to go?" she asked.

The man continued to stare at the field for several seconds before answering. "The people who are after me are not normal assassins. They will come after all of you to make examples, even all the way out here you will be a target." the man explained.

"Will you be back? Will it be like what happened to grandpa?" the girl asked looking up at the man sadly.

"Your grandfather was a brave man and a strong leader." The man told her, ignoring the first question.

"But will you be back?" she asked again, looking back at the field.

The man faced the girl and pulling her into a hug "I love you Ash, and your sisters, never forget that." he man told her.

"I don't want you to go." The girl told him, returning the hug with tears in her eyes.

"I don't want to go, the family means more to me than life. Remember, you can't stop change anymore than you can stop the suns from setting. Practice hard, the same way I taught you, protect your mom and sisters, and in your darkest hour we'll be united again." he told the girl before releasing her but holding her by the shoulders.

"There is so much I want to tell you." the man told her sadly before putting a medallion of some kind in her hand. "The Minotaur, powerful and fierce, will be there, don't be afraid to call on it in your time of need." he told her.

"I will dad, just please come home safe." she told him leaning in for one last hug.

"I will Ashley, I promise. In our darkest hour, 'til all are one." he whispered before he slowly let go and walked down the hill, leaving his family behind.

When Ashley looked down for the medallion it was gone, only a black tattoo of the medallion with the head of a minotaur on the top of her hand remained.


	2. Chapter 2: Eden Prime

**Chapter 2 : For This?**

 **.**

 **1**

 **.**

She had trained since she could hold a weapon, the best shape of any marine, faster, stronger, more dedicated, a better shot with practically any weapon, yet here she was hiding behind a rock with only her father's old pistol to protect her. She was twenty-five-years-old, a glutton for punishment due to her bloodline. She often thought of joining that upstart security group that popped up after her sixteenth birthday, but no, she had refused, now she was stuck at a backwater posting with an overpowered pistol and her light phoenix armor, fighting off invading Geth forces. When she was beginning to wonder if she would survive her thoughts went back to her father, how he left to protect them, how she was to protect her family, she grew a new determination popping out and firing on the geth. One shot, one kill, and when all of the offenders were gone, Chief Williams ran.

.

 **2**

 **.**

Ashley Williams, Gunnery-Chief in the Earth's Systems Alliance, twenty five years old, ran. Followed by several Geth drones she noticed a large rock in the distance. When she got close enough she dove for the rock, twisting and firing on the machines as she flew behind the rock, hitting three of them.

It was a sunny day, not too hot or too cold, the fields were quiet, and everything was tranquil. How were the 212th division to know that a day that started with their commander showing his prejudices would end with all but one of them dead, and a machine army invading?

" _At least I wouldn't have been shot at if I'd fucked Donkey"_ she thought as she took a deep breath behind the rock.

" _Mind on the here and now. Focus on the enemy, one shot, one kill."_ came to her mind immediately after her thought.

Ashley could have sworn she heard a woman's voice in her head. A lesson from long ago, stern yet gentile. It had been a stressful day and the advice was sound, no use second guessing it. Another lesson from the distant past to keep in mind.

As she was about to pop back up and continue the fight the final two machines fell to sniper fire.

.

 **3**

 **.**

She looked behind her to see two men, one wearing N7 armor. When they got close Ashley saluted, looking at the taller man.

"Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams of the two-twelve. You the one in charge here sir?" she asked the N7 operative, not willing to ease up.

"I'm Commander Shepard of the Normandy. What's the situation Williams?" the commander asked quickly.

"We were patrolling the perimeter when the attack hit. We tried to double back to the beacon but walked into an ambush. We tried to get off a distress call but they cut off our communications, I've been fighting for my life ever since." Ashley explained before faltering a bit. "I-I think I'm the only one left, the others..." she said before being cut off by the commander.

"This isn't your fault Williams. You couldn't have done anything to save them." the commander told her, earning a nod in resignation.

It was at this time that the other, shorter man spoke up. "The Geth haven't been seen outside the vail in over two-hundred years, why now?"

"They must be here for the beacon, the dig site is right over that ridge, the beacon should still be there. " Ashley responded, looking and pointing the direction they needed to go.

"We could use your help Williams, care to join us?" the commander offered with a smile.

For the first time in hours Ashley Williams smiled and pulled out her father's pistol. "Absolutely sir, time for some payback."

.

 **4**

 **.**

After fighting through Geth and finding the Beacon had been moved to the spaceport Ashley, Shepard, and the man who would become known as Kaiden continued through the colony. After fighting through several larger geth the group came across a body, a dead body, of a turian at the loading bay.

"Nihlus..."

"You knew him Commander?" Ashley asked, walking up beside him with a curiously tilted head.

"He was the Spectre that was assigned to the Normandy." the Commander answered evenly.

A small sound jarred the group out of their reverie as they all turned pointing their respective weapons at a grouping of large crates.

"Wait! Don't shoot!...I'm one of you! I'm human!" the man yelled frantically as he kept his hands high.

"You could have been shot sneaking up on us like that. What are you doing behind the crates?" Commander shepard asked in a hard, untrusting tone.

"My names Powell. I saw what happened to that Turian. The other one shot him." the man told them, not relaxing seeing three guns in his face. Anyone could see the stress lines on Powell's face while looking at the soldiers; like looking at his own death at any moment.

"What other one..." Shepard asked letting the sentence hang with slightly squinted eyes.

"There were two turians here, your friend called the other one Saren." Powell told the group, finally dropping his hands.

"Shit..." Ashley said as she let her pistol drop slightly, now pointed closer to the man's groin.

"You know of him?" Shepard asked as he turned to her curiously, letting Kaiden watch Powell.

"Before my father left he was teaching me history. He taught me about some of the spectres. Turns out, Saren was one of them. Reckless, xenophobic, and dangerous, if he can't use you or are in his way, you die. Collateral damage doesn't mean anything as long as he gets his target or has someone to blame for a failure. He's also one of the best, a skilled special forces commando. If he shot Nihlus, we're in trouble Commander." Ashley told him, never taking her eyes off Powell.

"Sounds about right, your friend seemed to relax, let his guard down... and Saren killed him. Shot him right in the back. I'm just lucky he didn't see me behind the crates. I hope the other platform was destroyed, that beacon has been nothing but trouble." Powell said relieved just in time to see a white armored fist catch him in the mouth.

"And that's for taking our equipment. You may have cost a lot of good men and women their lives, that's on your head." Ashley told the man before continuing on to the spaceport.

"You're lucky she didn't just shoot you. A little advice, don't smuggle military equipment then hope to be forgiven by the marines who lost their squad because they ran out of ammunition." Shepard told the man on the ground.

.

 **5**

 **.**

The trip to the other end of the spaceport was quiet. The other two men knew Ashley was angry and mourning her squad, they also knew that no matter how minor the role he played, Powell played a part in them not being able to defend themselves as well as they could have. After making their way across the ramps the group disabled several bombs designed to destroy the colony before making contact with the intact prothean beacon.

As Shepard walked up to the beacon and inspected it a slight glow began running through it. Shepard stepped away to call the Normandy but Ashley was engrossed in the beacon, for some reason as if it was calling to her. Without notice the beacon activated dragging Ashley into it.

Alarmed by Kaiden's call Shepard had to push Kaiden out of the way and ran in to grab Ashley attempting to throw her out of the way of the beacon. Before Shepard could get Ashley out of the way the beacon seared a vision into the brains of both individuals...then exploded.

.

 **6**

 **.**

The Normandy was quiet, people were either asleep or worried, but as for Gunnery Chief Williams and Commander Shepard things were different for their sleep was not filled with silence or happy dreams, but chaos, confusion, and dread. The medical bay was clear white, as sterile as any hospital, the physician looking over the duo was aged but alert, and the marine standing guard was alert and at attention.

Then, with a sudden groan, Shepard opened his eyes and brought his hand to his head. Someone was yelling for someone else before a yelp could be heard, followed by a soft thump. As Shepard opened his eyes he saw Captain Anderson standing in the doorway staring at Kaiden who was rubbing the back of his head while retreating out the door. His eyes then turned to Ashley who had a blank, yet slightly annoyed look on her face, then to a book on the floor that read.

"Hamlet".

It didn't take Shepard long to figure out what had happened and he made a mental note not the get on Ashley Williams' bad side until a tired sigh was heard and Captain Anderson walked up to the front of both beds. "How are you two feeling?" he asked as he clasped his hands behind his back.

"Like the morning after shore leave." Shepard answered tiredly.

It took Ashley a moment to answer but when she did the answer was surprising to the Commander. "Tired Sir."

"That's it? Tired? No headache, pounding, anything that could be considered even remotely uncomfortable?" Shepard asked with a curious sound.

"No sir, just tired." she replied.

Anderson cleared his throat bringing the two back to the task at hand. "I won't lie to you, the council isn't going to like this. Nihlus is dead, the beacon destroyed, the council is going to want answers. It doesn't help that both Saren and Chief Williams are involved, given her father's dealings with the council before he disappeared."

"Wait, you're father had dealings with the council? Was he an ambassador?" Shepard asked Ashley with a hint of surprise coloring his voice.

Ashley sighed "I don't know much about his past honestly. Dad was always secretive about it. I know he was a soldier but not who for, a historian but not where he learned, that he didn't like Turians...well, at least I understood that. He met my mom when he was on Sanxi helping grandpa fight the Turian invasion. Unfortunately, I don't know anything into his dealings with the council. Dad started looking tired, we moved to the outskirts of Alliance Space so we could be at peace. " she explained to the men while resting her hands on her stomach.

"Well, hopefully that works in our favor then. His shielding you from political backlash may keep this investigation on course. I'm also concerned about the beacon, did you see anything before it pulled you in?" Anderson asked them.

"Death, destruction, I don't know what I saw. A feeling of suffering." Commander Shepard told his commanding officer.

"A warning. Sent by the Protheans, a warning against whatever destroyed them." Ashley told the group causing them to look at her curiously. "The Protheans communicated through direct thought, why would they program a beacon that showed them being slaughtered if not as a warning to others who found it?" she explained.

"Hmmm...a good thought Chief. If the only thing in that beacon was historical data then the backlash may not be as fierce as I first feared. That leaves us with Saren, if he's involved we have a lot more problems than before. Saren is a Spectre and one of the best, and he hates humans." Anderson told them before Shepard jumped in.

"You can be assured that the council won't take highly to one of their own being accused of treason. We need a plan if we are going to be able to get the evidence we need." he told them.

"I'll deal with that, if you two are fit for duty Chief Williams has been assigned to the Normandy as it's new gunnery officer. Her skills should fit well with the ground team." Anderson told them before dismissing them and walking back to the bridge.

"This mission just got a lot more complicated." Commander Shepard commented as he began to get up.

"Yea..." Ashley said, yet to move from her spot.

"Is everything alright Chief?" Shepard asked her as he got to his feet.

"Yes Sir, the mentioning of my father just brought back a lot of memories." she told him more quietly, closing her eyes as if the memory was vivid.

To Ashley, though it had been a decade since he last hugged her goodbye on that hill on Sirona, the memory, the smell, the sense that he didn't want to leave, it felt as though it happened yesterday. Her mother knew everything, but wouldn't speak on the subject, classified she said softly with a sad look. Something happened, something that took him away. One day, when she saw him again, she'd find out why, why he left them the way he did.

"Anderson said he disappeared, I can't imagine what that was like." Shepard told her sympathetically as he stretched.

"It matters not how straight the gate, How charged with punishment the scroll, I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul." She told him as she sat up on the bed. "One of the last things he told me before he left. Invictus, by William Earnest Henley, he was always into those poems." She told Shepard before getting somber. Ashley had yet to will herself to get up, not quite ready to relinquish her coverings to the cold of the ship.

"Seems he left you with some protection. That pistol isn't anything I've ever seen in an Alliance barracks, or anywhere for that matter." Shepard said after slipping on his boots.

"The pistol is one of a kind, dad called it a TBP, ' _temporal blaster pistol',_ I was told to never use it again by my instructors, too dangerous for an amateur. Funny, I had been shooting guns longer than most of them had been in service." Ashley sighed as she threw the covers back and sat up, leaning forward with her hands on the side of the bed.

"Dad left with the best of intentions, but it doesn't mean I don't wonder why it had to be that way. Why would anyone come after him?" She explained while hopping to her feet.

"From what Anderson said it seemed like he was a man who had a lot of connections, perhaps one of them didn't like something he had done." Shepard told her supportively as he walked over to her.

"Maybe, only mom knows and she isn't talking. He always believed in unity, an end to conflict. I guess we'll just wonder until he comes back." she answered back.

"Any idea as to why you didn't get a headache after interacting with the beacon?" Shepard asked, changing the direction of the conversation.

"I'm not sure sir. Dad always said my brain was wired differently before he messed up my hair. I may not be a girl who worries about what her hair looks like all day, but nobody likes the tangles." Ashley replied as the two talked causing her commander to smile a bit.

"And the tattoo?" Shepard asked gesturing to the top of her left hand.

"The last gift he gave me. The Minotaur, I think it was with me back on Eden Prime, no other way I survived that. Alliance command said I had to wear a glove while on duty, not Alliance regulation...assholes." she told Shepard with a slightly bitter tone.

"Well then, I guess it's good you had someone watching over you." he told her with a hand on her shoulder. "I know I feel better with you watching mine" he smiled before heading out of the med bay, he didn't hear her final whisper, something her father had told her long ago.

"In our darkest hour, until all are one."


	3. Chapter 3: The Citadel

**Chapter 3: The Citadel**

 **Note:** _I hate the Citadel in ME1, boring to play, boring to watch, boring to write, I'm going to make this a painless as possible._

.

 **1**

 **.**

 _The war for the Realms: From Heros to Horrors:_

 _"When the angel of death arrived on a battlefield everyone knew the outcome of the confrontation, perhaps not the victor, but the adversary would always take insermountable losses. His very presence could turn a devastating loss into a hallowing victory. The downside was that he and his followers were like locusts, fulfilling their objective, stripping opposition of any hope of victory before moving on. I lived through the naval campaign on Valhalla; sometimes the costs were far too high."_

 _~Supreme Commander Thor_

 **.**

 **2**

 **.**

When the Normandy reached the Citadel, Captain Anderson, Ashley, Commander Shepard, Kaiden, all gathered in Ambassador Udina's office, in which they endured a insult laced scalding from the older man for not only destroying the beacon and damaging Shepard's spectre candidacy, but by involving a misfit like a Williams, only to reach the council chambers to receive a second scalding by the council and Saren himself.

Not wasting any more of their time the group left the council chambers before Ashley, Shepard, and Alenko went off to find Turian Citadel Security Detective Garrus Vakarian

Ashley had a feeling Udina had known her father, having never met the man it was the only way he'd know anything about her. She noticed how Saren had glared at Shepard, yet he looked at her with a curious expression. She decided it wasn't worth thinking about.

After speaking to and watching Ashley threaten former officer Harkin for lewd comments the group found Garrus at the free clinic which saw the group, with Vakarian, running to Chora's Den to find a small time gangster named Fist. When they got to Chora's Den they met a Krogan mercenary named Urdnot Wrex. After a brief firefight where the group destroyed Fists gang they found the location of a Quarian in the back alley outside Chora's Den.

.

 **2**

.

Tali'Zorah nar Riyya paced back and forth in the alley, waiting for the Shadow Broker. She wasn't naive, she knew nobody met the Shadow Broker in person, that there was a chance this was all a set-up. After a few moments of pacing the young Quarian heard a noise and turned to see a Turian and two Salarians in battle armor. As they approached the Turian began to speak. "Did you bring it?" he asked pointedly.

Tali'Zorah was as quick as she was cautious, primed a fragmentation grenade, while she answered. "Where's the Shadow Broker, where's Fist?" she asked quickly.

The Turian ran a talon down the hem of her head piece before answering softly. "They'll be here, where's the evidence?"

Quickly Tali slapped his hand away and told him calmly "No way, the deal's off."

The Turian quickly moved out of the way to give the armed Salarians a clear shot, only to watch as the Salarians took a grenade, knocking them back and severely injuring both. This was the last thing the Turian saw as his head exploded from a sniper rifle shot.

Tali'Zorah looked up to see a small military band walking toward her, a human male stowing away a sniper rifle. As they got closer Tali'Zorah began to pace again. "Fist set me up, I knew I couldn't trust him." she said angrily as the group approached.

"Don't worry, I took care of him." the taller man told her as they got closer. "Fist works for Saren now...or at least he use to."

"Good, then I guess I have a way to repay you. I have evidence that Saren attacked the human colony Eden Prime. Do you have somewhere private we could talk?" Tali explained.

"We could go to the Ambassador's office Commander, that's pretty secure." Kaiden answered.

"Good thought Lieutenant, let's go." Shepard said as he turned around and led the group away in a hurry.

.

 **3**

.

"You're not making life easy on me Shepard; Firefights in the wards, an all out assault on Chora's Den..." the older man said before turning around to take in the group assembled in surprise. "...what's this, a Turian, Krogan, a Quarian? Shepard, you'd better have a good explanation for this." the old man told the soldier.

.

"We just made your day Ambassador. Tali'Zorah here has evidence that can implicate Saren in the attack on Eden Prime." Shepard told the white haired ambassador.

.

After a few indignant comments Tali played the recording and was accepted into Shepard's crew with little issue as Udina went to call an emergency meeting of the Citadel Council.

.

"Kaiden, Tali, you two are with me to see the council." Shepard told the group as Anderson exited the room before turning to Ashley. "Chief, show our other guests to the Normandy, help them get settled in." he told Ashley who nodded and headed off with Garrus and Wrex behind her.

.

 **4**

 **.**

The way back to the Normandy was an easy walk with small talk made by Garrus and Ashley. They spoke of their military careers and the mission at hand. Wrex didn't say anything, seeming content with just walking in silence. It took about an hour to get everyone set up, shown around, and for Shepard to return to the ship. Ashley was just in the mess hall when the intercom system went off and Commander Shepard's voice was heard.

.

" _This is Commander Shepard. We have our orders: find Saren before he finds the Conduit. I won't lie to you, crew. This mission isn't going to be easy. We all know what happened on Eden Prime; we saw the destruction, we saw the bodies, we saw what Saren did, and I plan to make him pay. Our enemy knows we're coming, when we go into the Traverse Saren's followers will be waiting for us. Everyone is counting on us, we can't, nor will we fail."_

Ashley continued looked back down at the remainder of her meal with a sigh, it had been a long day. Shepard's speech marked the beginning of a new journey, yet she was conflicted. She looked down at her omni-tool, at the message she had gotten onto the Normandy, from a man she had not heard from in ten years.

 _Ashley,_

 _I'm still here, continue to make me proud, be safe._

 _Love,_

 _Dad_


	4. Chapter 4: Ghosts of Therum

**Chapter 4: Ghosts of Therum**

.

 **1**

.

 _The War for The Realms: From Heros to Horrors:_

 _"There were divisions in the leadership of the Alliance during the war. While most people thought it was a united front; for the forces involved, the division between factions such as The Sirians, Arcadia, and the Jaffa were seen clearly when my brother wasn't around to take control of the situation. Supreme Commander Thor of the Asgard and General O'Neill of the Humans were able to quell many of the arguments, but there were times we often feared they would kill each other."_

 _~Alexis Rhette (nee Doce), Empress Lortsnian Empire_

 **.**

 **2**

 **.**

Ashley Williams was confused, something was happening. Her father hadn't contacted the family since he left yet he had sent messages to all of them, detailing that he was still out there, alive. Their mother, Kimberly, had stated that he had told them he was finishing up an important assignment, then he would be back. That is what led her to the vid screen located in the corner of the cargo hold while the ship was over the planet of Therum. The crew was occupying themselves while the commander was planetside with Wrex and Garrus. Ashley was currently talking to her youngest sister Sarah about recent family events. Their father was communicating with them, he was alive, more than Ashley could have hoped after a decade apart.

" _You were there, you know more than we do. Mom got a longer message, I don't know what it said but she was crying when she read it. It was from someone named Alexis. Whatever happened with dad must have been big."_

"I don't know, something about that morning on Sirona. It seemed like it was more than assassins; that they were an afterthought to him. Something didn't add up.…" Ashley trailed off.

" _Mom always said dad had one final mission he was always researching, finding leads to, working to complete. What if he found it, Ash? What if he completed his mission? Dad was military and he never said he retired at any point. According to mom, he was always in the middle of a storm. What if he found it? What if he's coming home, Ash?!" Sarah said jubilantly._

It was a thought they all wanted to believe, and if Sarah was correct, it made Ashley more conflicted than she needed to be. While she was thrilled her father could come home, a decade long assignment was rare, almost unheard of in this age. It also added a question; if the assassins weren't the real threat, what was? Her father's disappearance kept getting deeper, with more questions all the time. Something was missing. Ashley knew her mother wasn't being honest with them, yet there was nothing she could do except wait and hope.

.

 **3**

.

Therum was a volcanic planet that was difficult to navigate in the mako, yet the tank had saved the team's hides more than once. Now that they were on foot and approaching the entrance of the mine, they were well aware of how fortunate they had been on Eden Prime. The Geth had been swarming Therum, and while the Mako did an excellent job keeping them safe, it eventually succumbed to the combined fire of several Geth troopers; a well-placed rocket sealing its fate. Thankfully the trusty tank was able to get them over some rock croppings and within close distance to the mine before being destroyed.

Taking a breath Shepard led his multi-species squad into the mine, destroying any geth that had made the mistakes of getting in front of him. He and Wrex, the Krogan Battlemaster, were mowing down resistance in close quarters with their shotguns while Garrus, the Turian sniper, took down long-range targets before they became a threat. It was an effective tactic, with the commander's weapon proficiency and the Krogan being as close as one could get to an organic war machine.

"Boonda!" Garrus yelled after another head-shot.

"It's Boojah! Garrus, Boojah!" Shepard yelled back from his rock cover.

"It sounds like human food!" Garrus yelled after sniping a Geth that got too close to Wrex.

"It's a meaty Belgium stew! Americans turned it into a rallying cry in the mid-twentieth century!" Shepard clarified over the gunfire.

"The Geth won't kill themselves! Less talking, more shooting!" Wrex yelled at the duo.

Wrex was rather subdued as he moved, muttering about Geth being scrap metal, while Shepard became silent and methodical. Garrus was like a child with his sniper, giving one line responses to every kill, earning a groan or response from Shepard every now and then. Overall the group worked well together and proved to be a destructive force in the field, integrating mid-range, close combat, and long-distance expertly. They also seemed adept at aggressive negotiations, as one Krogan learned first hand.

When the group got to an elevator they were immediately on guard as the elevator looked as though it had been recently maintained. The situation became more bizarre as the group stepped off the elevator to find that the area looked like it was abandoned weeks prior to their arrival rather than thousands of years before. When the elevator opened the group was greeted with a large room that looked like it had been vigorously maintained. Walking across the catwalk was eerie, the walls, which would normally be older, were cleaned and metallic, the catwalk was strong, and the shimmering blue screen holding the Asari captive was active... Shepard paused, holding an Asari...Doctor T'Soni.

As the group walked up to the barrier it was Shepard who answered.

.

 **4**

.

"Miss T'Soni?" Shepard asked as the group approached the barrier.

"Yes! I need help! When the Geth came I activated the barrier curtain. I must have hit the wrong button and trapped myself in here. Who are you?"

"I'm Luke Skywalker, I'm here to rescue you!" he said dramatically earning a strange look from all three aliens.

"It worked in the movies," Shepard muttered.

"I will never understand humans," Garrus said to nobody in particular.

"They are a strange group of beings." Wrex chimed in.

"I confess, in all my studies I have never come across a species quite as unique," Liara said from behind the barrier.

"Everyone's a critic. We'll get you out of there, just don't go running off." Shepard told her before walking off.

"I will never understand humans…" he heard Liara say as everyone walked off to find a way into the chamber she was being held in.

.

 **5**

.

While Shepard and his team were taking care of the situation on the planet below Ashley had decided to study the planet's they were to go to, along with the mission objectives and old Quarian accounts of geth tactics. It was a habit she had taken up after getting into the military, lessons from old books and war novels. Know the enemy, know the terrain, be prepared. She was sitting at her work station with a datapad in hand, a gift from her father when she was young, pouring over planetary weather conditions from half a dozen planets. When the group got back she would need to speak with Wrex and Garrus, see if they couldn't help come up with a strategy that she could pass on to Shepard for future missions.

Along with Therum Ashley had gathered information on a dozen potential planets Saren and his cohorts could hide on. Dig sites were obvious choices including the human colony of Feros, the Asari world of Noveria, and the Quarian colony of Ket'osh in the Attican Traverse. The more she read, the more she thought bringing Tali into the discussion would also be beneficial to her report. Ashley was determined to make sure her lessons were put to use to keep the crew safe; she thought this may be her only shot to do so.

.

 **6**

 **.**

A while later Ashley had enlisted the help of Tali and the pair were researching new weapons designs when word that Shepard's team was their return trip to the ship. Surprisingly the young Quarian knew quite a bit about building and maintaining weapons. Discussions quickly turned to modifications that could be made to ammunition, the quickest upgrades they could come up with on a ship.

The duo had productive conversation, currently involving new explosive rounds, ended when an announcement from Joker was made that the ground team was about to enter the cargo bay in an emergency pickup. Being in the mess at the time, the two picked up their notes and vacated the cargo bay.

.

 **7**

 **.**

When Shepard entered the round conference room the entire ground team was there including Doctor T'Soni. Sitting around the edges of the room on the commander's right was Kaiden, followed by Ashley, Wrex, Liara T'Soni, Garrus, and Tali, in that order.

 _"That was too close Commander. The Normandy wasn't designed to land in volcanos, they tend to disable our sensors and melt our hull"_ Joker told them over the intercom.

"We almost died and your pilot is making jokes?" Liara said surprised.

"A coping mechanism, harmless, you'll get used to it," Shepard replied easily.

"Oh, I see. I am grateful Commander, you saved my life back there. If you had not come those geth would have killed me or dragged me off to Saren." Doctor T'Soni told Shepard from her seat to his upper left.

"What did the geth want with you? Do you know anything about the conduit?" Kaiden asked from the other side of the room.

"Only that it was somehow connected to the Prothean extinction. That is my real area of expertise, I have spent the past fifty years trying to figure out what happened to them," she explained.

"How old are you exactly?" the commander asked curiously.

"I hate to admit it but I am only one hundred six," Liara replied regretfully.

"Damn, I hope I look that good when I'm your age," Ashley said with an amused grin.

"A century may seem like a long time to a short-lived species like yours, but among the Asari, I'm barely considered more than a child. That is why my research has not gained the attention it deserves. Because of my youth, other Asari scholars tend to dismiss my theories on what happened to the Protheans." Liara explained to both the commander and Ashley.

"I've got my own theory about why the Protheans disappeared," Shepard told Liara.

"With all due respect commander, I have heard every theory out there. The problem is finding evidence to support them. The Protheans left remarkably little behind; it is as if someone did not want the mystery solved. It is like someone came along after the Protheans were gone and cleansed the galaxy of clues; but here is the incredible part, according to my findings the Protheans were not the first galactic civilization to vanish. This cycle began long before them" Liara explained to the group.

"Well for what it's worth I found your thesis on the cycles fascinating," Ashley responded.

"Let me guess, your father's history lessons?" Shepard asked with a slight grin.

"Required reading. He seemed to believe that the thesis was important historical data. While it's not proven yet there is enough there to at least ponder the accuracy." Ashley responded confidently.

"Thank you Chief, perhaps we can discuss the subject later. I'm sure the commander would appreciate our effort." Liara responded with a slight grin before looking back to Shepard and continuing. "I can't prove my theory but I know I am right. Every time a great civilization rises up it is suddenly and violently cast down. Only ruins survive. The Protheans rose up from a single world until their empire spanned the entire galaxy, yet even they climbed to the top on the remains of those who came before. Their greatest achievements, the Mass Relays, and the Citadel are based on the technology of those who came before them. Then, like all other civilizations in galactic history, the Protheans disappeared. I have dedicated my life to figuring out why."

" _Maybe they didn't want to be found."_ came the female's voice in Ashley's head.

"They were wiped out by a race of sentient machines, the Reapers" Shepard told her directly.

"The Reapers, but I had never heard of...what evidence do you have?" Liara asked hurriedly.

"There was a damaged Prothean beacon on Eden Prime, it seared a vision into mine and Ashley's brains. We're still trying to sort out what it all means." Commander Shepard told her while keeping his arms crossed.

"A vision, yes that makes sense. The beacons were designed to send information directly into the mind of the user. Finding one that still works is extremely rare. No wonder the Geth attacked Eden Prime, the chance to acquire a working beacon, even a badly damaged one is worth almost any risk. The Beacons were only programmed to work with Prothean physiology, whatever information you received would have been confused, unclear. I am amazed you were able to make sense of it at all, the lesser mind would have been utterly destroyed by the process. You must be remarkably strong-willed Commander." Liara explained, leaving off with a compliment.

While Ashley found the earlier discussion interesting, the last bit was basic information taught in basic training. "Okay, this isn't helping us find Saren or the Conduit," she said, getting the debriefing back on track.

"Of course, you're right." Liara relented. "I'm sorry, my scientific curiosity got the better of me. Unfortunately, I do not have any information that can help you find the Conduit or Saren." she continued.

"I don't know why Saren wanted you out of the picture but I think we'll be a lot better off if we bring you along," Shepard told her relaxing.

"Thank you, Commander, Saren might come after me again." Liara began as she stood up. "I cannot think of anywhere safer than here on your ship." as she continued moving forward. "And my knowledge of the Protheans might be useful later on," she concluded before Wrex butted in.

"And her biotics will come in handy when the fighting starts," he told them.

"Welcome to the team Liara," Shepard told her, getting a thankful acknowledgment in reply.

.

 **8**

 **.**

"Good work on Feros Commander. Rescuing Doctor T'Soni and confirming that the Prothean ruins are more than just ruins is a huge accomplishment." the Asari Councillor, Tevos, explained.

"I assume you are taking appropriate security measures?" the Turian Councillor, Sparatus, asked.

"Under the circumstances and after an interview and medical checkup, I am considering Doctor T'Soni a prisoner of war that we recently rescued. Everything checks out and our doctor believes she wouldn't have survived in the prison for more than another day." Shepard explained calmly.

"Then it is good you arrived when you did. We certainly didn't need losing the heir to House T'Soni due to Saren. You have the thanks of the Asari people for that Commander." Tevos told him with a small smile.

"Yes, but the far more interesting event is the Prothean facility. The Council will be sending a team to investigate. Is there any further information about these Reapers?" the Salarian Councillor, Valarn asked.

"Not yet, sir, Chief Williams and I are waiting until Doctor T'Soni recovers before getting too far into the subject." Commander Shepard told him.

"A prudent course of action. We anticipate your report." Councillor Tevos told him before Valarn and Sporatus' images winked out.

Alone with the Asari Councillor Shepard was curious, one on one meetings weren't the normal operating procedure.

"Commander, I ask you for a personal favor." Councillor Tevos began stoically. "There are two individuals on your ship I wish for you to protect. Liara T'Soni, as I stated earlier, is the only heir to the T'Soni family. Her loss would be a huge loss for the Republics." she told the Spectre.

"Of course, and the other?" he asked in response.

"Long ago a man named Dickson visited a Thessian colony on the verge of Thessian space. Humans were not a known species and many Asari wanted to bring him in for interrogation. He fought off Batarian forces and evacuated colony survivors into his personal vessel before the planet was taken. Many Asari, out of gratitude stayed on his ship as crew, others returned to us and told their story. Our records are few and the information is seen as a legend, or myth, with only one old photograph remaining." Tevos told him.

"While this is interesting to know, I don't have anyone on my crew by that name," Shepard told her pointedly yet politely.

"While that is true, you do have his daughter on your ground team. Protect Ashley Williams commander. I do not believe she is aware of how old her father is, but I owe it to the man for everything he did for me that day." the Asari informed him.

"Nobody will die needlessly on this mission Councillor, besides, Ashley is a more capable combatant than anyone else on the ground team." Shepard began, assuring the Asari no harm would come to the young marine. "I am curious, you knew him." he inquired.

"I was on Esan before the Batarians annexed it, Commander. I was one of the few Asari who had seen the man before he reappeared on Shanxi and one of the few that returned to the Asari. He may be a political nuisance but I owe him my life, protecting his child is the least I can do." she informed him.

"She couldn't be in better hands," Shepard answered with a nod.

"Thank you, Commander, and good luck in your hunt for Saren." Tevos ended before cutting her communication.

.

 **9**

 **.**

 **An hour later**

"Embrace Eternity" was the first thing Shepard heard as he walked into the medical wing. He stood there as he watched Ashley and Liara, attached to heart monitors and being watched by Doctor Chakwas, linked mentally.

Shepard watched as Ashley looked calm, though Liara's eyes were going wild, yet both heart monitors were only slightly high. It was only a few moments when they both opened their eyes and spoke.

"Goddess, I had no idea it would be that vivid. The Protheans, their fate. All this time, all my research, yet I never dreamed...I'm sorry, the images were so vivid. I never imagined the experience would be so intense." Liara said as she came out of the trance.

"Yea well, thankfully you didn't get caught up in the beacon, you'd have nightmares for a decade. It was an intense experience." Ashley replied shaking her head.

"Indeed, the experience did not seem pleasant," Liara responded, giving Shepard the avenue to butt in.

"It wasn't, though there was a bit of a silver lining. We now know of the Reapers, and we won't be caught off guard," he told the two women.

"Indeed, we will be ready when they arrive. Ashley and I are going to research and pool more information on the Prothean extinction." Liara told him from her seat.

"Garrus, Wrex, and Tali are working on new weapons based on what we have salvaged from the Geth. Hell, we may as well turn the cargo hold into our own R&D area." Ashley told him earning a chuckle from Liara.

"We'll see what we can do. I expect a full report on the results of your melding." Shepard told them before leaving.

.

 **AN: I realized that many of the chapters I wrote for this tended to be quite short, so I started combining two chapters to make up for it. I also realized my 4-year hiatus made for a massive gap in storytelling, so I am incorporating some lore at the beginning of chapters. Hopefully, this, along with realizing the complications of writing on a phone and adding further edits helps going forward. I am also adding more details as I go as I was informed I neglected several areas. As always, thanks for reading.  
**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Spores of A Different Color**

 _The War for the Realmes: From Heros to Horrors_

" _The battle for Khamorto was pure chaos. The entire planet was a forest, it was all gorilla warfare. If you can imagine not only fighting the enemy, but fighting the elements and wildlife planet wide. After all these years it's still the most chaotic situation I've ever encountered. My brother saved my life after a struggle with a liger and an enemy combatant, he urged me to keep moving, that we couldn't win staying in one spot. It's ironic that this is the one battle where the planet defeated the two most powerful militaries in the known realms. In the end, we all retreated."_

 _Fleet Admiral Xalvadora Sugimori, United Federation of Planets._

 **.**

 **1**

 **.**

Feros, the largest, most well preserved Prothean city. A city that looters and archaeologist would study and loot around the edges of, but never enter in fear of activating the remaining active defenses. The remainder of the city spanned nearly two-thirds of the planet, so the surprise when in 2178, that Exogeni Corporation would be sponsoring a colony to study the ruins was unexpected.

The colony was based several miles away from the city's edge with small prefabricated, unity structure, housing to live. A small area close to an old irrigation system which provided water and allowed for hunting of local wildlife for food. As far as the studies went? The colony wasn't equipped with the equipment needed or the funds. The colony itself, was barely surviving.

 **.**

 **2**

 **.**

"Alright people, mission is simple. Follow Saren's footsteps, find out what he wanted on the colony, and clear it of any Geth that were left over." Shepard told his squadmates as they waited in the cargo hold.

Ashley and Tali both nodded in response as the Normandy made its descent into the small hangar above Zhu's Hope colony.

 **.**

 **2**

 **.**

After a short firefight the group walked through several more Geth and into the colony where they met Fai Dan, the head of the colony.

Fai Dan was standing in the center of the colony talking with what appeared to be a member of the colony's security. He was an older caucasian man with a lot of wrinkles, a lazy eye, and and close cropped black hair. "Ah, Commander, I'm glad they finally sent someone to help us." he said enthusiastically.

"A little late aren't you?" the woman to Fai Dan's left exclaimed to the commander, clearly upset. The woman had darker skin with short black hair and dressed in combat armor and an assault rifle on her back.

"Arcelia!" Fai Dan quickly reprimanded. "Sorry, Commander, everyone's on edge since-" he was cut off by a loud gurgling noise.

"Watch Out!" Arcelia yelled, pointing her rifle toward a large clearing. "We've got Geth in the tower!" she informed the group.

"Protect the heart of the colony!" Fai Dan instructed as he pulled out his pistol.

After a brief firefight it was clear that the Geth had made a stand to keep the colony, employing personal shields to hide behind and upgraded weapons. While brief, the geth employed many rocket troops and a few snipers to keep the contingent at bay, yet in the end the trio of Ashley, Tali, and Shepard overwhelmed the forces.

"That should keep the colonists safe." Ashley said before the group turned and headed back to Fai Dan.

"The tower's secure, thanks to you Commander." Fai Dan told Shepard as the group approached.

"I'll help the colony any way I can." Shepard responded.

"That's good to hear. We can use all the help we can get." Fai Dan responded.

"They may have been slowed but they'll be back, they always come back." Arcelia said, earning a glance from Fai Dan.

"Why?" Shepard asked curiously.

"If you want answers go ask them yourself. I was hired to keep school children from painting graffiti." Arcelia responded testily to the question.

"We don't know what they're after. They came, they attacked us. That's all we know." Fai Dan answered before continuing. "Their main base is at the Exogeni Headquarters. A good place to start looking if you want answers." he informed them.

"The skyway leads directly to Exogeni Headquarters, you can't miss it." Arcelia explained calmly. "Of course there's an army of Geth between here and there." Fai Dan concluded.

"I wouldn't expect this would be easy." Shepard responded.

"Then maybe I can get this colony operational again."

"What do you need to get this colony back on its feet?" Shepard asked.

"We need those geth destroyed." Arcelia pleaded.

"Arcelia is right, we still have Geth in the tunnels. We also have more mundane problems like food, water, and power. I don't know where we stand on those matters, you should ask the people overseeing them." Fai Dan explained.

"I'll have a team come down to take care of the situation. We'll have the colony back up and running soon." Shepard assured the stressed man with a smile.

"Thank you commander"

 **.**

 **3**

 **.**

The journey in the mako was anything but smooth, the army of geth was soon as the group of three started down the skyway they were met with two two geth armatures and several geth troopers. After they were taken care of another wave led by a third armature entered the area. Ashley was giving the main cannon a workout as she blasted away at the geth at a steady pace.

During the journey they came among survivors from the Exo-Geni research facility. Doctor Juliana Bahynam and head researcher Ethan Jong were arguing over several issues ranging from finding Bahynam's daughter, to where the most secure area on the planet was from the geth. Despite Jong's protests Shepard agreed to rescue Bahynam's daughter, Lizbeth, if she survived while being non-committal about not touching anything Jong felt important to the company.

The final Armatures the team fought nearly overloaded the mako's systems before Shepard, in one last ditch effort, rammed the final geth Armature over the side of the road with the body of their vehicle. Thankfully the tank was still able to make the trip to the entrance of the building.

 **.**

 **4**

 **.**

When the group exited the tank Ashley was on point with her Torrent 10 assault rifle at the ready, slowly making her way toward the entrance of the building with Shepard and Tail a step behind at her sides. When the group entered the garage Ashley cursed as her scanner jammed, followed by similar reactions from her squadmates.

Without warning Ashley swung around and fired several shots into the ceiling causing a geth trooper to fall from the ceiling. Looking up Shepard followed suit by firing at a hopper that was trying to sneak up on him.

"Keep frosty people, the geth are here in force." Shepard told the group.

"While I'm not sure why you would wish us to remain cold, I will stay alert as we move forward." Tali commented, gaining a chuckle from her companions.

Once up the ramp the group came upon a locked door which Tali easily picked. Walking past a deactivated Armature, Ashley reached into her waistline pouch and took out a small pack, sticking it to the neck of the large geth.

"Chief?" Shepard asked quietly as they continued.

"Just in case." Ashley responded as she continued on.

Looking up Ashley pulled out a sniper rifle and fired, hitting a Geth hopper through the torso, causing it to hit the ground deactivated with a heavy clang.

"How did you do That? I didn't hear it and it was right above me." Tail said as Ashley and Shepard jogged over to her.

"I just felt it was there and knew my Viper had the best accuracy and punch." Ashley replied before they all turned toward the activating armature.

"Crap, cover people!" Shepard yelled as the scattered into cover.

After everyone was firmly into cover Shepard heard Ashley yell and quickly plugged his ears.

"Fire in the hole!" she yelled before pushing the red button on her handheld detonator.

The explosion was not what was expected. While Shepard expected a grenade-like explosion, instead the entire Armature blew apart with an explosion that shook the floor.

When the smoke cleared the group got out of their cover and walked over to where the Geth once stood.

"Keelah, what was that?" Tail asked, not sure how to react.

"C-4, I always keep a small amount on my person for emergencies, it works better than anything commercially available." Ashley explained as she looked at the scorch mark.

"You and Wrex should get along well." Tali responded.

"Well I can't argue with results. Let's go, we have a Turian to catch." Shepard told them as he started further into the facility.

 **4**

Moving further down the cavern they came across Lizbeth Bynum whom they sent back to the mako after her errant shot went wide right of anything except the roof. Bynum, while scared, explained that Exogeni was experimenting on a sentient plant for unknown reasons. After hearing about the plant the group quickened their pace, killing several varren as they went.

"Stupid machine" the group heard as they turned the corner. Shepard gave a quiet signal and slowly approached the Krogan.

"Tell me what I want to know before I turn your virtual ass into actual dust." the Krogan yelled angrily. "Please contact your supervisor for a level four security exemption." the machine told the Krogan, infuriating it more.

Shepard exchanged his rifle for his shotgun along with Tali while Ashley took her sniper rifle back out and set up behind a crate. Shepard put up three fingers before counting it down to two, then one. When he lowered his arm Ashley fired a single sniper shot into the Krogan, knocking him forward and lowering his shields. As the Krogan began to get back up both Shepard and Tali emptied several rounds into the unshielded Krogan causing him to slump to the ground dead.

While walking up to the Commander, Ashley suddenly felt a wave of nausea wash over her. The feeling was empty, as if a hole suddenly formed in her stomach. If she had eaten before the mission the contents would currently be mixed with Krogan blood.

" _Focus on your breathing, hold your breath for as long as you can, slow your heart rate!"_ a voice in her head practically shouted.

"Keelah, Ashley! What's wrong?" Tali yelled as She ran to kneel by her friend who had rolled over onto her back.

"I don't know." she responded between slow, deep breaths. "It was like a pit suddenly opened in my stomach. Just, need to catch my breath." she told the other members of her squad, moments before accepting Tali's hand to sit up.

"Take a second to get yourself together. I'll get the information we need." Shepard told her turning toward the consol.

After utilizing the company virtual intelligence using the access card given to them by Lizbeth Bynum, Shepard learned that the colony was set up to be a test group for Species Thirteen, the Tholian. The Tholian gave off mind controlling spores and was capable of controlling the thoughts of anyone under its influence. ExoGeni would then study the results and send them back to their corporate headquarters.

"Alright people, we have the information we came for. Let's head back. You alright Ash?" Shepard instructed as they began finding an exit.

"Good to go skipper. Whatever happened may have been rough but went by quick." she told him as they walked.

"Be that as it may, I want you to see Chakwas when we get back to the ship." Shepard told her as he looked around a corner.

"Ey sir." she responded as the group moved forward through the facility.

After a few minutes the group came to a room with a geth dropship hanging from a window. In between the arms of the dropship were two geth, praying around a glowing immediately jumped down off the platform and unloaded rounds into the geth's shields, allowing Shepard and Ashley to mow the geth down with their assault rifles.

"Keelah, that explains why we couldn't get a signal out." Tali said as she walked closer to the ship.

"Tali, can you get those shudders to fall, they might be able to cut through the ship's legs." Shepard asked the young Quarian.

"Can you zip up your jumpsuit? Just give me a moment." Tali told him walking over to the consol by the wall and getting to work.

Shepard walked over to Ashley while Tali worked. I saw you shake your head back there, are you alright?" he asked the chief.

"Just a headache, I'll be fine skipper." she responded.

"Let me know if anything worse pops up" Shepard instructed, getting a nod in response.

"GOT IT!" Tali yelled as the shudders flew shut, cutting off the legs of the dropship and causing it to fall into the abyss.

" _Commander! Come in Commander...come on, be there…"_ Joker said through the communications system.

"I'm here Joker, what's the situation?" Shepard answered.

" _It's the colonists commander, they've gone crazy and started clawing at the door to get in. I've locked down the Normandy so they can't get in."_ Joker explained.

"Hold tight Joker, we're on our way." Shepard responded as he waved the group to follow him.

" _Will do Commander, and watch out, there are geth heading toward your position."_ the pilot warned.

"Roger that."

.

 **5**

.

After confronting Lizbeth Bynum about what she knew Shepard ushered everyone into the mako. About halfway back to the colony after blasting some geth and losing another chunk out of the back of the mako, a radio signal was overheard from the exo-geni bunker with an argument between Doctor Bynum and Ethan Jeong, head of the exogeni Feros Branch.

The events of the next few moments were tense as Jeong called Shepard and his party out from their cover after an unexpected outburst by the younger Bynum.

"Shepard, I guess it wasn't enough to hope that the geth would kill you." Jeong told the party as they walked forward. "It makes no difference, the comms are back up and and ExoGeni wants this place purged." he told them.

"I have a shotgun" Tali said as she smacked the barrel against her hand.

"I know." Shepard replied.

"She won't miss." Ashley agreed.

"I know." Shepard replied again, not taking his eyes off the now sweating man.

"Just one knee." Tali bartered.

"No." Shepard once again answered.

"An ankle? He can survive without a foot." Ashley continued.

"We are not maiming the horses ass. There are Alliance regulations against cruelty to animals." the Commander informed them. "Now Jeong, you are not purging the colony. Wouldn't it look better if Exogeni were to rebuild the colony and help them recover. The PR alone would be enough for a promotion." the commander bargained.

Jeong wiped the forming sweat from his forehead before letting out a breath and putting his hand to his chin in thought; muttering to himself finally agreeing with Shepard's proposal.

After speaking with Juliana Bynum and getting some modified nerve gas to save the colonists, Shepard copied the contents of a data padd from the computer in the Exogeni building before giving it to Gavin Hossle and leaving the bunker.

 **6**

By the time the crew had gotten to the blast doors on the skyway the Mako was a sitting target. Ashley used the mounted cannon and gun to deal with the dozen geth in their path but the mako wouldn't move on its own again. The group quickly got out of the machine when a warning light came on that the shield Tali had been keeping up had failed. After the group was out a well placed missile from one last geth sent the mako flaming into the air and off the side of the cliff. Commander Shepard in turn took Ashley's sniper rifle off her back and quickly ended the geth threat.

"Nice shooting skipper, I didn't know you were such a crack shot." Ashley commented as she took back her rifle.

"I never miss with big weapons. Just line up and let go." Shepard said as he went toward the control panel for the large doors.

"Duly noted for future reference." She responded while getting a groan from Tali.

"Could you two not flirt while our lives are in danger?" Tali asked.

"I'll take it under consideration." Shepard said causing both women to groan as he pushed the button to open the door.

Opening the door the group saw a large group of over a dozen zombie looking creatures coming toward them and immediately opening up with their assault rifles at a wide spread. The creatures were like sponges, soaking up bullets driving the trio back. After switching to concussion ammunition to push the creatures back the trio was finally able to finished the battle and continued on their mission.

Moving further down the trio came across a group of colonists. As they charged Ashley and Shepard charged back, using the butt of their guns to knock out the colonists as Tali used the gas grenades on a second group hiding behind a crate. Turning, Ashley and Shepard shot several of the zombie-like creatures, dropping them with concussion rounds before the group moved on.

After using grenades to take out three more groups of colonists the group came up to an elevator and quickly descended. When the door opened Ashley saw two colonists and two zombies, causing her to quickly throw a grenade, knocking out the colonists and killing the zombies. Marching down the stairs the group saw another handful of zombies, for which the quickly shot. From behind barriers the colonists began shooting at the party. Shepard lobbed a grenade, landing in the middle of the group, knocking them unconcious.

After subduing the rest of the colonists, a struggling Fai Dan walked around the corner with a pistol in his hand. "I was supposed to lead these people. They depended on me. It wants me to stop you," he said lifting the pistol, causing Shepard to bring up his own. "But I won't." Fai Dan said, bringing the pistol, with great difficulty to his own head. Before he could pull the trigger Shepard pulled his own, shooting the pistol out of the suffering man's hand before Talio through a gas grenade under his feet, knocking him unconscious.

Following that incident shepard raised the small freighter and the group walked down the stairs underneath, to the Thorian.

 **7**

Getting to the bottom of the step turned out to be easy, killing a giant plant with tentacles hanging from the wall was not. The Thorian had spit out an Asari thrall to speak for it. After a back and forth that lasted several seconds the conversation got tense.

"No longer will we listen to those who scurry…" the Asari said before being blasted off the ledge behind her.

"The conversation was boring anyway." Tali told them as her shotgun vented.

Shepard was about to say something when Ashley called to them "Commander we have company!"

"Lock and load!" Shepard called back as the group raced to a set of stairs.

Scorch marks suggest grenades were used, a cry from the Thorian suggested Ashley had done something, and the continuous fire suggested she was still under duress. Hurrying up the stairs Ashley spotted them and quickly turned with her pistol and fired a single shot between the two. When the others turned around they saw an Asari with a hole in her chest. Turning back, the two began helping Ashley clear the hoard.

"The tentacles! On the wall! Blow them up and it will make it fall!" Ashley yelled over the gunfire.

As the group quickly pressed on they destroyed four more tentacle nodes. As shepard stuck a grenade to the final node he heard a cry from the back of the group. Turning he saw that Ashley had been biotically thrown into the wall by another Asari. Shepard and Tali quickly dispatched the Asari before helping Ashley down the stairs and blowing the final tentacle node.

"I should have seen the bitch coming; got the drop on me." Ashley told them as she struggled to stand upright.

"You're good Ash, but not perfect. You're not indestructible, sometimes you get hurt." Tali told her friend while applying the medigel to her back.

"She's right Chief, let it go, it happens to the best of us." Shepard said before he was interrupted by a gleeful voice.

"I'm free!" it yelled happily.

After a brief conversation detailing what happened to her, the Asari, named Shi'ala offered Commander Shepard the Cipher a general understanding of the prothean language and society. Shepard stepped forward first allowing Shi'ala to meld with him. The transfer took seconds, after which Shepard was groggy and had to sit down. Next was Ashley who gave the Asari stern warning about "Digging" into her mind. Shi'ala agreed and the meld began. When it was over Ashley shook her head clear as Tali led her away.

The sooner they were off Feros the better.

 **8**

In the medical lab Ashley was ending her examination from Doctor Chakwas. It was a strange examination, Chakwas had taken several more readings than normal.

"Ashley, if I may ask, where did you get that tattoo?" the doctor asked inquisitively.

" _Be vague, don't go into detail"_ came the voice in her head.

"My father. He did it because he believed the Minotaur would help keep me safe." Ashley responded.

"Hmmm, have there ever been any unusual medical readings from it?" the doctor asked looking at the readings from her omni-tool.

"No, it was always there but there was no issue medically." Ashley responded from her sitting position on the bed.

"Did he use any special ink, anything that could potentially give off radiation?" she asked, causing Ashley to stop and think.

"I was fifteen Doc, and there were a lot of things about dad we didn't understand." Ashley responded getting a raised eyebrow from Chakwas.

"I suppose that will need to suffice. I'm ordering a weeks rest, no missions for you. Your ribs should be fine in a few hours. I'll schedule more tests for the radiation by the end of the week. I gave you an injection for the nausea, come see me if you have any more side effects from the mission." Chakwas told her, giving Ashley back her overshirt just in time to see Commander Shepard walk in.

"How's that patient doc?" Shepard asked Chakwas, a little more happily than normal.

"Bruised ribs, but it's the radiation that concerns me. While it doesn't seem to affect her I would rather her be grounded until I can run more tests. Radiation is never a good sign." Chakwas explained.

"Understood; can we get a moment?" the Commander asked, dismissing the doctor for the moment.

"So, how are you feeling?" The commander asked once the doctor had left.

"Good, I guess. Ribs hurt." Ashley told him while throwing on her overshoot.

"The doc said something about radiation, should I be concerned?" He asked.

"Not unless this tattoo summons a Minotaur to kill everyone." Ashley retorted.

Shepard just smiled shortly at the response, shaking his head.

"I don't know, otherworldly creatures may be helpful in our battle. Besides, you'd look good in a loose fur top." Shepard said with a childlike grin.

"And I'm sure you'd look good in a loin cloth, but that isn't happening either." Ashley responded with a rueful smirk.

"Maybe, I am a Spectre." Shepard retorted grinning.

"Hmmm…" Ashley said looking him up and down. "...I guess we'll see if you can keep up...skipper." she told him as she walked out of the med bay.

"Yep, She's mine." Shepard said after Ashley left. Tossing an apple and catching it Shepard walked out of the med bay.


	6. Chapter 6: Mom

**Chapter 5: Mom**

 _The War for the Realmes: From Heros to Horrors_

 _Five of the greatest unsung heroes of the war were the five men and women who died before the war began. The Black Knights of Niflheim. Helios, Tolia Findlay; The Dragon, Azrael Centera; The Wolf, Trinity of Europa; The Tiercel, Sexton of Ma'Casta; The Centaurus, Zon Bruegel; all of them perished in the final battle of what would come to be known as The Psychotic Rebellions, the conflict that delayed the larger war by two decades. The resistance nearly died with them, yet had they not given their lives the Alliance would never have been formed as it had._

 _~Libidinous Doce, Shadow Force_

 **.**

 **1**

 **.**

The Normandy was quiet. The night crew had just begun their shift while the day crew and ground team ate dinner. Feros had been a mess and had stressed everyone to the point that Shepard had ordered everyone to have a mandatory twelve hours shore leave on the Citadel.

While standing a few feet behind the first group behind the decontamination area John and Ashley were whispering lowly, to some you would think they were almost flirting. "So, do you still want to see me in a tin mini-skirt and thigh high boots?" she whispered to him.

"I may have to pay for that dinner." he replied with a small smile. "You look like you may like some sweets." she replied back.

"I like sweet." he said keeping his voice even.

"Sweets to the sweet." she told him leaning in closer to his ear with a hand on his tailbone.

Before the two knew it they were in the decontamination room. Before they left the room Ashley glanced down and grinned that her words had the desired effect.

 **.**

 **2**

 **.**

When the first wave of crew was off the ship Ashley and Commander Shepard exited.

"So Chief, what do you plan on doing for leave?" Shepard asked as they walked.

"Probably check out that new firearm emporium on the presidium. How about you Skipper?" she answered.

"The new Blasto movie came out last week, I figured I'd swing by." Shepard told her contently. "I could use a companion." in a flirting fashion.

"Blasto…" she began.

As Shepard was walking he suddenly realized Ashley had fallen a couple steps behind. Looking back he followed her stare Shepard noticed a smaller woman, a little over five foot tall with a slight tan and auburn hair resting on her shoulders. The woman smiled at them as she walked forward.

As she was walking up she put her arms around Ashley and gave her a hug.

"I came as soon as I could." She told Ashley as they embraced. Ashley slowly let her go before asking what the older woman was doing on the Citadel.

"In time, what I really want to know about is this guy here. Boyfriend?" she asked turning to the Commander.

"Mom, God, he's my commanding officer." Ashley groaned.

"Oh I bet he's commanding. I want every detail..." She commented eying Shepard up and down. "...and don't swear on your father's name." she continued causing Ashley to groan again.

Shepard for his part smiled and decided to save Ashley from the woman in front of him.

"I'm Commander Shepard ma'am, Ashley's C.O on the Normandy. It's a pleasure to meet you." he said, hoping to take some of the heat from his chief's cheeks.

The woman took his hand firmly and gave it a single firm shake. "Humanity's first Spectre. An admirable accomplishment, I get the feeling the pleasure will belong to my daughter." She told him with a wink; causing him to grin.

"God this is embarrassing." Ashley said to nobody as she covered her face with her hands.

To her credit, the older Williams turned back to Ashley and gave her daughter a sigh. "Honestly, though sweetie, something happened and you need to be filled in".

"It's about dad isn't it." Ashley said, more of a statement than a question as she tried to get the blood out of her face.

"I received a message from his sister yesterday. The mission he was on… it didn't go well." The older woman paused for a moment. "Your sisters are waiting at the hotel." She told Ashley, letting the statement hang.

Ashley nodded slowly. She knew when a mission ended badly that news was rarely good. She also knew this was not normal military procedure for giving out information. She looked over at Shepard who gave her a nod, allowing her mother to lead her back to the hotel.

As Shepard began to walk away he winced as he heard a rather familiar voice.

"And where do you think you're going?"

.

 **3**

 **.**

When Ashley entered the hotel her sisters were sitting on a small couch waiting. What was out of place however was the woman sitting to the other side of them. She dressed in clothing similar to what her father wore, blue jeans, a long sleeve flannel shirt, and what looked like old earth style running shoes while wearing straight blonde hair that sat on her shoulders.

Ashley slowly walked over to the group and sat beside her younger sister Sarah, patiently waiting for her mother to make introductions.

"Ashley, this is Alexis Rhette, your father's sister." Kimberly introduced causing her daughter to perk up.

"I didn't know dad had a sister." Ashley asked, slight suspicion in her voice.

"Actually, he has two, but I was the only one who could make it." She told her niece.

"Why didn't anyone come with you?" Ashley responded leaning forward on her knees.

"Destany, your oldest sister, and her husband Max wanted to come. He's kept in contact with them most, but they were detained. Your other siblings Jacquie and Kevin were helping an evacuation of a planet with volcanic instability or they would have come as well. Charity and Joey were out supporting the search for him. I was the only other person available." Alexis told her older brother's family.

"We have older siblings?" Sarah Williams asked incredulously.

"Five, and they're all on assignment or looking for him. He left long ago, but we never stopped looking out for him. Even at his age he's far too reckless. We are all very protective of him." Alexis answered while leaning back with a small grin.

"Shouldn't he be protecting us?" Anne asked tensely.

"He is, he never stopped. He sacrifices more of himself to protect his family than anyone I have ever met. At this point in his life he is seeking solitude, he disappeared because he was tired of fighting, the only reason he would leave is if there was an imminent threat to all of you that he had to deal with." Alexis explained gently.

"For a decade?" Sara asked curiously.

"He always took care of the most dangerous assignments. He said he didn't want Destany or myself involved in a lot of stuff he had to deal with, he always said that he could handle it." Alexis told her niece.

"Could he?" Sara asked as she leaned forward.

"Yes." Alexis answered with a slight nod and smile.

"What's his condition?" Kimberly asked, causing the older woman to let out a breath.

"He's hurt, due to the shockwaves it sent through our society we estimate whatever he did probably damn near killed him. " Alexis told them calmly.

 _"Killed him! What shockwaves"._ Ashley thought to herself.

"Why didn't you help?" Kimberly asked while leaning forward, visibly angry.

"We didn't know. He doesn't exactly file mission reports anymore Kim. The second he leftwas the day he stopped answering to us. One day he stopped communicating and disappeared with only a few messages to his kids throughout the years. Then a few years later we're getting wedding invitations delivered by Charity, who we didn't know existed. If not for the calls he made to his kids we wouldn't have known he was alive before your wedding." Alexis told her sister-in-law.

"The assassins." Abby stated sadly.

"No, your dad dealt with assassin's regularly, he only would have seen them as a nuisance." Alexis told the younger girl.

"There was something off about him the day he left on Sarona. It was like the assassin's were an afterthought. His attention was off, he said he didn't want to go, that there was something he had to deal with." Ashley supplied.

"Did the others feel it when he did whatever it was he did?" Kimberly asked quickly and nervously.

"We all felt it, every Lortsnian on some level felt it. It was as if a part of us shut down briefly before restarting. What he did, he did it on a scale larger than anything that should be possible." The room went quiet for a moment before Alexis looked down. The room quieted down after that until she continued. "The shockwaves...nobody should have to make that choice." she told Kimberly sadly, allowing the room to fall into silence.

"I felt it." Ashley began getting odd looks from everyone in the room. "I was on Faros, we'd just taken out a Krogan when I got dizzy. It was like...a black hole opened in my stomach. Tali saw me go down and helped. There was this voice in my head, telling me to slow my heart rate." she explained.

The last comment caught Alexis by surprise, causing her to look at Ashley's gloved left hand. " _He didn't."_ she thought before a voice interrupted.

"What if he had died?" Anne, the second oldest asked slowly causing the older woman to pause.

"The death of the guardian in such a violent manner..." Alexis whispered lowly, dismissing the question.

Ashley shared a look with her mother, who shook her head and mouthed 'Not now' before looking back.

"What happened? What did he do?" Anne asked the older lady.

"I'm sorry hunny, I can only speculate. I doubt we'll get confirmation until your father comes back." she began before turning to Kimberly. "I should have ordered him back at some point for a full debrief of what he knew." Alexis told her, getting more curious stares for her last comment as she sat back down.

"Do you really think he would have listened if you had?" Kimberly asked, leaning forward with a sad smile.

"No. Even when he was in the position of authority Joe always operated outside of the bounds of it. He would have said 'Classified' and ended the conversation. We're trying to trace the Legacy but it has always been his personal vessel. Since it was never officially ours we can't trace it like we could other ships. Xal took the Spartan out to scan everything she could come across for clues while Charity and Keira are retracing his steps, but Joe gets around. Those efforts may take a while, and he will probably re-emerge before then, especially if he's healing in one of his pocket dimensions." Alexis told them, holding her forehead in her folded hands and leaning forward.

"Alright, let's get everything back on track." Ashley cut in. "You're our aunt and by how you and mom talk you're pretty high on the political food chain somewhere. You came to tell us about dad and I'm guessing you said more than you intended. I don't know who Xal is, but the others are our older siblings from a previous relationship. Then there is the small detail about our dad being damn near killed. So let's get to the chase, is he going to live and how can we help find him." she told her aunt getting a smile from the older woman.

"He was right, you are just like him." Alexis told her with a small smile causing Ashley to blink slowly. "Short answer, Ex is with him as is Commander John Khiro, son of a late family friend; he's a brilliant medic. He'll live and with the equipment he has may be coming out as we speak. Xalvadora is our younger sister, your aunt, and a respected Admiral; she married General Keira Sugimori. Charity is your older sister, from your father's last relationship while Joey, James, and Jacquie are your siblings from Tara. Charity's a brilliant tracker and hunter" their aunt explained. " As for helping find him, I'm certain he's no longer in this galaxy, you can't follow him." Alexis told her niece.

"And you can?" Sarah asked hopefully.

"We can try. Your father was always the best of us, he would have made it difficult to find him."

"I hope he comes home." Abby, the third oldest added quietly.

"We all do." Alexis told her gently.

.

 **4**

 **.**

When Ashley got back to the Normandy several hours later she was tired. While her aunt was less than forthcoming about her father's professional history she was more than happy to tell the girls about their family. In short, it was large, far larger than it was when her father left them decades prior. Decades, he didn't look nearly as old as he seemed.

Breaching the subject of the Lortsnian species seemed to irritate her aunt, yet she understood her brother's reasoning for withholding the information as he, himself hadn't learned of his origins until he was an adult. For her it was repeating history with her brother's children as Destany had only learned due to her interference. The sisters were all upset the information was withheld from them but understood their father's reasoning, no matter how misguided they felt it was.

The highlight of the afternoon was getting to hear about her father's antics in his younger days. From what her aunt had described he was basically a hippie with a gun and warship. It was funny hearing about his antics, yet you could hear a hint of sadness when certain names were mentioned. Her father, Jenna, Trancit, the previously mentioned Tara, and Allison seemingly among the saddest.

Knowing their father was fighting by the side of her grandfather when he died shook Ashley. To know you were there and couldn't prevent the outcome must have weighed on her father's soul for years.

The family in turn told their aunt about how her brother had been prior to his leaving. She seemed happy, mentioning how family life kept him from going on some reckless, damn fool idealistic crusade. She said it always made him happy, feel normal. Yet the conversation that stuck out to Ashley was the one that came after the family conversation.

 _They were standing outside waiting, it was surreal that Ashley would lead her aunt from the hotel, but there were answers she needed as they walked toward the side of the building._

" _You inherited the Minotaur. I never thought he'd part with her." Alexis asked as she stopped and looked at her young niece._

 _Ashley stared back at her, Alexis was taller than she was and carried herself with a sense of authority, yet that didn't deter Ashley. "He did, but didn't tell me anything else. He said it would protect me if I ever needed it." she responded as she continued to look up into the face of her aunt._

" _If you know how to use it. The Minotaur once stood side by side, hand in hand with Olympus." her aunt told her before letting out a breath. "The Black Knights were once the most powerful, most respected, and most feared fighting force in the known worlds. You have inherited a family legacy that your father began as a means to fight all the threats to those he cared about." with the next motion Alexis flipped her left wrist, causing a device to materialize from her skin. "I am Centaurus; you are the Minotaur; if he trusted you with that legacy then your destiny is upon you." she concluded._

" _How will I know?" Ashley asked back unphased. "You'll know." Alexis answered before turning and walking down the alley._

" _Where are you going?" she called from behind her retreating aunt._

" _To prepare. We'll speak soon."_

 _..._

At the other end of the Presidium, Commander Shepard had a nice meal and quiet afternoon catching up with his mother. To end the day the duo saw the new Blasto movie, enjoying their few hours together before John had to return to the Normandy. One question she asked was if there was anyone special in his life. The question itself made him pause, before making a small smile. "Maybe mom, maybe."

While neither of them knew what the future would hold, the day of fun and family had granted both of them more peace than they would admit, and more questions about what was to come.


	7. Chapter 7: Into the Fire

**Chapter 7: The Frying Pan**

 **.**

 _The War for the Realms: From Heros to Horrors_

 _The fall of what would come to be called the "Psychotic Empire" came at a price not only of lives, but to the health of the leaders who represented the species' throughout the known realms, and the greatest victim nearly came during the final battle of the war. When the mutant emperor Emrass fell, so did the leader of the fragile Alliance that was formed to face them. Miraculously General Dickson survived being run through, combined with the costs to Earth and the infrastructure of the Prime Reality at large, a power vacuum was created that many were not afraid to try to exploit. The response was more horrifying than anyone could imagine._

 _._

 **1**

 **.**

Virmire, one of the most beautiful, and deadly planet in the galaxy. Beautiful weather, beaches, clear water, and more pirate activity than many star systems. The STG got onto the planet unnoticed; the Normandy wasn't likely to be as fortunate. The Normandy had eight hours, Shepard doubted those hours would be relaxing.

"Alright people, this is it, Tali and Garrus are with me. We'll get in and destroy any anti-air platforms that might be down there. Ashley; you'll lead a team of Wrex and Liara in case we get in trouble. If we get in trouble be ready to come in guns free; hit hard and hit fast." Shepard instructed from where the ground team was meeting in the Cargo hold. "Alenko, if it turns into a war zone have the marines ready and prepared. I want them ready for a full deployment if necessary." he said before turning toward the mako and talking to Garrus about preparing the machine for the drop.

 **2 Preparation**

Shepard was making his rounds that night, making sure the crew were well rested. When he made his way through the crew deck he realized part of his ground crew weren't in the sleeper pods.

Garrus, Tali, and Ashley were missing. He walked around to the mess hall and found the three of them talking quietly in the secluded area.

The conversation abruptly stopped when Shepard entered the room.

"Am I interrupting?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Na, just talking about old stories Ashley's dad use to tell her about knights in shining armor." Garrus told him.

"And how he always beat the bad guy and ran off with the girl." Tali added to Ashley's groan.

"I think her dad was bragging and didn't want her to know about all the women in his life." Garrus pressed which caused Ashley to spit out her drink and begin coughing.

"You know Garrus, that would have been funnier if Ashley didn't cover me in orange juice". Tali told the Turian as she dripped with liquid.

"Sometimes I wonder how you people are as good in the field as you are." Shepard responded before continuing his trek with a small chuckle. That night they rest, for the next they head back into the field.

.

 **3 Salarian Camp**

Pulling up to the Salarian camp, situated beside a defensible beachhead, Shepard and company jumped out of the mako and walked up to the camp. The camp was on a beach, quiet with birds chirping and clear skies, unaffected by the war around them. The Normandy was already on the ground and both Alenko and Ashley was speaking with a Salarian.

"I'm Commander Shepard. What's the situation?" Shepard asked once he got close enough.

"Captain Karahee, STG. Your ship has alerted every anti-air turret in the area. It will be nearly impossible for anyone to take off." the Salarian told him.

"Well we took out a bunch of them on the way here, and the Council said you sounded urgent, we didn't know what we were walking into." Shepard replied calmly as he gazed at the Salarian captain.

"The Council sent YOU! We requested a fleet! We stumbled right onto Saren's main base of operations!" the Salarian Captain exclaimed, looking irritated at the prospect of only a single crew to aid him.

"The message was garbled, they sent me to investigate." Shepard explained.

"Investigation is a repetition of our task here. Saren's base is highly fortified against ground assault. Furthermore, we believe Saren may have found a cure for the Genophage." Kaharee explained irritably.

"A cure for the Genophage? It's true then." Wrex butted in, causing everyone else to look at him strangely.

"I was warned something like this may happen a few years ago. It took a while, but I was finally convinced on a course of action. These are not true Krogan and this is not a cure."

"Then what do you think it is Wrex?" Shepard asked, perplexed by the warlord's reaction.

"Clones. They have the same face, they are identical. Saren isn't breeding Krogan, he's cloning them." Wrex told them before lumbering off.

"Still problematic. We need a plan. Speak to your team, I'll be back shortly." Karahee told the group as he turned away.

.

 **4**

 **.**

On the bridge of the Normandy, Kaiden, Ashley, and Liara were waiting for Commander Shepard to make an appearance.

"Shepard, a lot has happened since Farros; after the mission Liara and I would like to discuss our findings on the Protheans." Ashley informed Shepard.

"Sounds good, anything that could help now?" Shepard asked in return.

"Unfortunately not. If we stop Saren here the gathered knowledge could be used for later research. Unfortunately nothing we have can help us in the current situation." Liara supplied.

"Alright, any other concerns?" Shepard asked looking around.

"Not until the Salarians come up with their plan." Alenko told him.

"Alright, let's sit tight." Shepard told them before walking off to talk to Navigator Pressley.

 **5 Planning**

"Commander, we think we have a plan." the Salarian captain told Shepard outside the Salarian beach camp.

"And?" he replied casually with the beach in the background.

"We can convert our ship's drive core into a fifty kiloton nuclear ordinance." Karahee began before being cut off by Ashley.

"I like it, drop it from orbit and kiss Saren's ass goodbye." she exclaimed slamming a fist into her palm.

"If it were only that simple. Saren's base is too heavily fortified for an aerial drop, we'd need to place the bomb in an exact location within the base. We'll be the distraction team, which makes what I'm about to ask you that much harder commander, while your people on shadow team sets the bomb I will need one of your officers to accompany us in a frontal assault on the base." Captain Karahee explained.

"I volunteer to set the bomb, Commander." Ashley spoke up.

"As do I." Kaiden said after.

"I'm an expert in demolitions." Ashley countered.

"With all due respect Chief, you are an expert in personal demolitions…" Kaiden started.

"Why is it whenever someone says with all due respect they really mean kiss my ass?" Ashley stated an annoyed tone, rolling her eyes.

"Stow it, both of you. Ashley will go with Tali and set up the bomb; Kaiden goes with the Salarians and keep in contact with shadow team." Shepard told the two marines getting a salute and no further argument from either.

 **6 Splitting Up**

"Alright Ash, get back to the Normandy and help Tali with the bomb. Kaiden go with the Salarians, keep them alive, biotic barriers are your primary focus. Garrus, Wrex and I will storm the research base and find anything useful before destroying it. Liara, be on standby in case we need your biotics at some point." Shepard told his team getting nods and affirmatives all around.

It had taken two hours for the Normandy engineers and Salarians to pull the drive core from their ship and reverse engineer it into a bomb. Now that the bomb was loaded into the Normandy cargo bay it was time to get moving.

Shepard, Wrex, and Garrus quickly loaded up into the mako, before Shepard stepped on the ignition, speeding off.

"Do you think they'll catch Saren?" Tali asked.

"If Shepard doesn't wreck them into the side of his base with the mako" Ashley answered getting a chuckle from both Tali and Liara.

 **7\. Sovereign**

Shepard had made it through the base. Casualties ranged from four crazy Salarians to a dozen dead Krogan. Eventually they came to a second beacon which Shepard used. While the images became more clear, he still didn't understand the message. He only hoped Liara could sort it out after they took care of Saren.

Before long the group came across a larger beacon. This one wasn't like anything any of them had seen. When Shepard stepped forward the beacon lit up and displayed a large red outline of what looked like a giant flat faced fish.

"What is that? Some type of VI interface?" Garrus asked on approach.

"Rudimentary creatures of blood and flesh. You touch my mind fumbling in ignorance, incapable of understanding." it told the group with a large booming voice.

"I don't think this is a VI." Garrus told them casually.

"There is a realm of existence so far beyond your own that you cannot even imagine it. I am beyond your comprehension, I am Sovereign." the giant fish announced.

"Sovereign isn't just some Reaper ship Saren found; it's an actual Reaper." Shepard said to the others, never taking his eyes off the hologram.

"Reaper, a label given by the Protheans to give label to their destruction. In the end, what they chose to call us is irrelevant, we simply... are." Sovereign told them.

The Protheans vanished fifty-thousand years ago, you couldn't have been there, it's impossible." Garrus responded adamantly.

"Organic life is nothing but a genetic mutation, an accident. Your lives are measured in years, and decades, you wither and die. We are eternal, the pinnacle of evolution and existence. Before us you are nothing, your extinction is inevitable, we are the end of everything." Sovereign told them ominously.

"Whatever your plan is it's going to fail, I'll make sure of that." Shepard told the creature without flinching.

"Confidence born of ignorance, the cycle cannot be broken." Sovereign taunted.

"Cycle? What cycle?" Wrex asked.

"The pattern has repeated itself more than you can fathom. Organic civilizations rise, evolve, advance, then at the apex of their glory, are extinguished. The Protheans were not the first, they did not create the Citadel, or forge the mass relays, they merely found them. The legacy of my kind." Sovereign explained.

"Why would you construct the mass relays then leave them for someone else to find?" Shepard asked skeptically.

"Your technology is based on the mass relays, our technology. By using it, your society develops on a path we desire. We impose order on the chaos of organic evolution. You exist because we allow it, and you will end because we demand it." Sovereign explained.

"They're harvesting us!" Wrex yelled outraged as he brought up his shotgun.

"We are legion, the time of our return is coming, our numbers will darken the sky of every world. You cannot escape your doom." Sovereign taunted, causing Garrus to growl.

"Then we'll fight in the shade, and when the light shines through there we'll be the ones that prevail." Shepard answered confidently.

"Your threats are as empty as your future. I am the vanguard of your destruction. This exchange is over!" the hologram yelled before the beacon exploded.

After a few seconds went by Joker's voice came over Shepard's comlink.

"Commander we've got trouble." the pilot told him.

"Lay it on me Joker, I love bad news." Shepard answered.

"That ship, Sovereign, it's moving. I don't know what you did down there but that thing just pulled a turn that would sear any of our ships in half. It's coming your way and it's coming hard." Joker told him with a hint of urgency in his voice.

"Let's head for the breeding facility, time to blow this place to hell!" Shepard told his team enthusiastically, even getting a positive reply from Joker through the speakers.

 **8 Setting the bomb**

When Garrus, Wrex, and Shepard reached the breeding facility Ashley and Tali had just finished planting the bomb.

"All set Skipper, all we need to do now is prime this thing and get the hell out of here."Ashley told Shepard as he approached.

"Set for five minutes. Whenever you're ready." Tali said with her faceplate in front of the control panel.

"Good." Shepard said as he reached for his helmet communicator. "Kaiden, the bomb is set, get the Salarians to the rendezvous point, pronto." He ordered.

"No can do commander, we're being overwhelmed." Kaiden responded.

"Hold tight, we're coming to get you." Shepard told him hanging up. "Ash, protect the bomb, we''ll be back." He told Ashley before motioning for his team to follow.

 **9\. A choice**

She activated the bomb early, she had set in motion the events that would destroy Saren's base of operations, and in turn doomed herself to death over a Geth dropship. Commander Shepard was conflicted, he liked Ashley, as a Spectre he could pursue those feelings, but now the mission came first.

The Commander was at a crossroads, a choice he had to make, a choice he hoped he wouldn't live to regret. He took one look back at the bomb site and sighed. "We'll be right there Kaiden, I'm sorry Ashley."

Before Shepard could move Ashley responded. " _Go on Skipper, save the the Kaiden, save the galaxy. Godspeed."_ She said, cutting her communications.

With a heavy heart, Shepard took his team and ran for the Salarian front.

 **10\. Saren**

Fighting through the few Geth to get down two floors was easy for Garrus, Wrex, and Shepard, then the fireworks began. In the water on the medium platform of the facility a bomb went off.

The explosion came from behind them, knocking the entire team forward into the water and scrambling for cover. Priming her sidearm Shepard popped out of cover, firing off five shots; all hitting their target.

"I must say Shepard, I'm impressed. My Geth were utterly convinced the Salarians were the real threat, an impressive diversion of course. All for nothing of course, I can't let you disrupt all I've accomplished here." Saren taunted as he stood tall in the light.

"Establishments take time, Sovereign's kind destroyed the Protheans! What else is there to understand!" Shepard yelled from behind cover.

"You've seen the evidence from the beacon Shepard, you of all people should understand. They can not be stopped, do not mire yourself with employer revolt and do not sacrifice everything for the sake of the many freedoms like the Protheans. They tried to fight and were utterly destroyed. Trillions dead but if they had listened they would still exist today." Saren explained calmly, moving around while trying to appeal to Shepard.

"I'd rather die than live under those machines!" Shepard yelled back.

"This is why I never came forward with this to the council. We organics are fueled by emotion, not logic. We fight even when we cannot win. If we can make the Reapers think we are useful we could save billions. Once I realized how many we could save I knew what I had to do. I thought this facility would protect me." Saren dribbled.

"Sovereign is influencing you! You're afraid he's controlling your thoughts" Shepard retorted.

The more Shepard listened the more obvious it became that Saren was no longer in control of his own thoughts and that the influence Sovereign had was too strong for him.

"And what about after you find the conduit! What about when your usefulness runs out!" Shepard demanded.

"Tools will survive the coming invasion. In order for organics to survive we must work with them." Saren explained, showing more emotion in his voice.

"Tell me why Sovereign needs the conduit, maybe we can find a way to stop them." Shepard said diplomatically as Saren got closer.

"It is the key to your destruction and my salvation." Saren told him darkly.

"I'm not like you, I'd rather die fighting than live as a slave." Shepard shouted.

"I'm not doing this for myself. Sovereign will succeed. I'm forming an alliance between organics and machines! But you would undo all of that…" Saren said stepping on his hoverboard. "and that is something I cannot allow." he finished while taking off.

As Saren was flying off Shepard and Garrus each popped out of their hiding places. Shepard fired several times into Saren's shield with his sidearm while Garrus pelted away with his shotgun. Sensing the bomb was about to go off Saren flew away without a word, waiting for the bomb to do his work.

 **11 Olympus**

The Geth were flooding the bomb site, it was beginning to get difficult to hold the line. Ashley knew the risks and if she died to stop Saren she would gladly do so. It came with wearing the uniform. She had originally taken solace that she would die on a sunny day but the clouds forming said otherwise.

Ducking for cover behind the bomb to let some shots fly over her head, clutching her side where a plasma round had gotten through her shields, she heard the sounds that sounded like blasters going off. When she looked up her jaw dropped.

Standing there, shield at full strength, with a pistol and a cylinder shaped firearm was her father; blasting Geth like it was something he did daily. He was standing in front of the bomb, his brown hair now short, wearing what looked like a black duty uniform; he was calm and steady, protecting her. Before Ashley could stop herself she limped up beside him, holding the gunshot wound on her side, and was firing at the Geth with The pistol he gave her as a teen. The renewed firepower and overcharged shields were pushing the Geth back.

Ashley noticed that her own shields hadn't taken a hit, that while barely standing, she was standing within her father's shield radius, fighting by his side and the Geth were being pushed back. She fell toward him, grasping him with her right arm while continuing to fire with her left hand. Her strength was faltering when she heard her father speak.

" _Ex give us a five second countdown then get us out of here!"_ she heard him shout through the fighting.

Ashley counted down in her head as the fighting continued, three, two, one...

 **Note: I have received concern that the story has a lack of detail, may be a bit out of order, etc. All legitimate concerns, but it was designed that way. The notes at the top are a bit of a history lesson and help set up the next story which will combine this story (A prequel) and Rise of the Paladin (The other prequel). Remember, I'm writing for the long haul, some concerns will be addressed as the storyline progresses throughout the series. As frustrating as it may be at times, these things are intentional and will be addressed as things progress. Also, rest assured, Ashley and Shepard will remain the main focus of the current storyline and Ashley will remain a main character throughout the series.**


	8. Chapter 8: Long Overdue

**Chapter 8: Long Overdue**

 _War for the Realms: From Heroes to Horrors:_

 _Years after the end of the Great War, beings across the realms knew enemies were ready to strike on the weakened species that made up The Alliance and claim Territory for their own empires. Unfortunately for them, the Angel of Death returned to reclaim his throne; and he brought his Horsemen with him._

 _._

 **MENEME**

 **.**

Done was the waiting, Ashley had waited for ten years for answers. She had been told by Doctor Khiro that her wounds would heal quickly with the nanites flooding her system. The Geth rifle had only clipped her side but her father insisted she get a full examination. The clip was a plasma round causing poisoning and skin damage that Ashley had fought through.

.

Her father; he had joined the battle, he was calm, determined to protect her. Time had slowed for her for a time. Her father had brought up a protective field as they fought; nothing had gotten through it. The last thing she remembered was being enveloped by a white light; she didn't even know how they got off the planet.

.

"You were reckless again, why not just extract her without exposing yourself?"

.

"I couldn't risk that she wouldn't be killed by the Geth. The galaxy won't know I'm back yet, be patient my friend." her father told the man.

.

"Damn Lortsnians, recklessness must run in your blood" he sighed. "A few hours she'll be good as new.'' The doctor said confidently.

.

"The line does descend from me; nonetheless know that I'm eternally grateful." Her father added before the voices faded.

.

Moments later a hologram the size of a small human woman of Asian descent, with shoulder length black hair, appeared at the foot of her bed.

.

"It is good that you are awake Chief Williams. Your father was worried the damage would be more severe."

.

Ashley had to blink looking at the solid looking hologram in black form fitting uniform.

.

"You don't sound much like a standard VI." Ashley stated suspiciously.

.

"I am a Black Knights issue hardlight Synthetic Intelligence, registry BKA-01 Executioner. You may call me Ex, it is a pressure to meet you." the hologram explained calmly.

.

Ashley was disturbed an artificial intelligence would be on the ship, but curious to the name. "Synthetic Intelligence?" She asked.

.

"My appearance and personality are a baseline copy of the brain-wave patterns of the late Qinn'Tarra Jinn. I am therefore a combination of organic and artificial properties." The artificial woman explained.

.

The situation was weird to Ashley, she had never heard about such technology. The med bay she was in was fairly large, wherever she was, her father was there, an artificial intelligence was there.

.

"Where am I?" Ashley finally asked, slightly more cautious than before.

.

"You are on board the BKA-01 Divine Legacy, under the command of your father." the construct told her.

.

"How did my father take command?" She continued.

.

"He commissioned both myself and the Legacy as Project Retribution. We've traveled together for a long time. In fact, I haven't seen you since you were a child. You may have your mother's looks, but you have your dad's spunk."

.

Ashley smiled a small smile. It was the second time she had heard the comment and both times it was from those who knew her father best.

.

"Now all you have to do is go off and try to save the galaxy." Ex told her causing a chuckle.

.

"Already on that one Ex. Setting off a nuke to stop the bad guy is something even dad would need to work to top." Ashley said with a smile. Unfortunately the smile faltered when she saw Ex had bowed her head. "What?" She asked carefully.

.

The hologram walked over and sat in the chair beside her bed, taking her hand. A hologram taking her hand...

.

"Here lie the Black Knights of Niflheim, bathed in nuclear fire. Your father is proud of you, proud you would make the sacrifice you were willing to make, but it was a sacrifice he couldn't allow. You mean too much to him." she told Ashley kindly.

.

"The Black Knights? Those were the stories dad told to us as children." Ashley asked, playing dumb, yet now aware of the uncomfortable moment she had unwittingly caused.

.

"It's alright Ex, but she needs her rest." The new arrival told the Synthetic Intelligence. "Besides, aren't you running tests on your new pet project?" the man asked with a slight grin.

.

"I know when I'm not wanted." Ex said as she stood with a huff before the hologram winked out.

.

"You need to forgive Ex, she was excited to finally meet you again. I'm sure the two of you will get along well." The man told her as he leaned down to give Ashley a gentle hug.

.

Ashley hugged him back with a small smile on her face. "We missed you." she told her father.

.

"I missed you guys too." The man told her.

.

"What's the thing on your belt?, You used it during the fight with the Geth." Ashley asked, looking at the dangling cylinder.

.

"Oh, this old thing" he said reaching down to grab the object with his right hand. "This trinket is called the Lance of Olympus. It can act as a firearm, extend into a lance with a sharp point, and fire while extended. All commanded by thought." her father explained with a grin.

.

" _He was always the best of us" "Bring Olympus home"_

 _._

"Sweet, can I get one?" Ashley asked in a hopeful manner causing her father to chuckle as she put everything together in her head.

.

"Unfortunately this is one of a kind, however I used the design to create the Shadow Lance. Same basic function, different in almost every way. You would need to use buttons and basic motions." he told her with a grin which caused her to groan.

.

" _After she died he left."_

 _._

"Where were you? We were all worried when Aunt Alex came to visit." Ashley asked as he sat in a chair by her bedside.

.

"I'm glad you got along with her. You certainly had a better first meeting than the two of us had. I demoted her within three weeks."

.

" _We weren't always on good terms." "...The Guardian..."_

 _._

"She was asked about what would happen if you died. She whispered about the guardian dying, then dismissed it. Are you the guardian?" She asked getting a sigh in return.

.

"I have been many things over the years, to many different people." He answered vaguely.

.

" _He was my husband"_

 _._

"I want to know why my dad left. What would be so troubling that he would leave us for a decade." Ashley replied emotionally causing her father to lower his eyes.

.

"The War for the Realms, the most devastating conflict in history. The culmination of two decades of conflict between The Dark Lord Emrass and his empire, and The Black Olympus Knight, a warrior who led a fragile alliance. Planets destroyed, species driven to extinction. The Planer Devastation was an event created to destabilize the alliance in the final months of the war. I have been trying to find the center point since the war ended. I found it, and closed it." he told his daughter.

.

" _After the Great War…" "This trinket is called the Lance of Olympus"._

 _._

"...oh god. " She saw her father's closed eyes and bowed head as realization dawned on her.

.

Everything she had learned she had suspected, in one moment crashed down. Even suspecting couldn't prepare her for the confirmation.

.

"From the shadows of a once great man has risen a curse, a wrong that must be righted. Against an army of shadows we look to the skies for a vindicator, someone to strike fear into the black hearts of those that created him. Against an army of shadows comes a dark warrior, the purveyor of good, with a voice of silence. " he told her with his head still bowed. Raising his head he looked her in her now open eyes.

.

"But, why did it have to be you?" Ashley asked, with a slight squeeze to her voice.

.

Her father sighed, as if the question made him tired. "The Planer Devastation was, at its most damaging, capable of destroying several realms of existence in a short amount of time. In the end it had to be me, I am the Guardian of the Earth Realms, I wouldn't let Destany or Alexis live with the burden of what I did." he explained.

.

"Burden?" Ashley asked slowly.

.

"Is sacrificing a billion lives to save infinite trillions something you would want anyone else to live with?" he asked her quietly.

.

"I am nearly fifty-two hundred years old by earth's calendar, older by other calendars, ancient in real time. My real age was lost centuries ago. I've traversed time and space. I'm a relic of a time best left forgotten, a time of war, untold destruction. I was the leader when the ends justified the means. I have billions worth of blood on my soul, I can handle it, I wouldn't allow them to shoulder it."

.

"Daddy…" she began before being cut off.

.

"I was called the last of the old, the first of the new; a legend confined to history books in a self-imposed exile. You, your sisters and brothers are why I keep fighting."

.

"Dad…" Ashley tried to interrupt again as she gripped his hand.

.

"There are things most brutal, and things most beautiful in existence. The majesty of the Aurora Borealis, the breathtaking effects of Saint Elmo's Fire, the eternal forests of Khamorto, the waterfalls of Naboo, the tranquility within the libraries on Erthae. I wish I could show you all of them."

.

He was surprised, he had expected a smack, or more accurately a punch, for her to turn away from him. Yet, he got a hug. It was unexpected, but he returned it, and he wouldn't let go again.

.

 **2**

 **.**

" _Commander, you'd better get up here."_ Joker's voice came through the Normandy's P.A system.

.

"What is it Joker?" Shepard asked as he walked up the steps toward the bridge.

.

" _We're being hailed by a ship of unknown design; and it is huge."_ Joker said as Shepard reached the CIC.

.

"How large Joker?" Shepard asked.

.

"One thousand two meters long, just over nine-hundred fifty meters wide. Sir, the power readings are off the charts." Joker told the commander while he flipped through various screens.

"Put them through." Shepard told Joker stopping in his tracks to look at the enormous vessel.

.

The ship was easily what Joker explained and shaped like an egg, covered in what looked like torpedo launchers. It had two rounded runners that looked almost like landing struts on the side, connected by a thick, flat, rounded off bar at the top, most likely to keep the ship's weight balanced in combat.

.

" _SSV Normandy, this is Joseph Dickson of the BKA-Divine Legacy. I believe I have something you lost"._ the man on the other end proclaimed.

.

Shepard looked confused for a moment before realizing who he was talking with and wincing, before answering. "And what would that be"?

.

 **3**

 **.**

Standing in front of a view screen in front of a huge bridge was weird to Ashley, as was what she was doing. Standing beside her father as they contacted Commander Shepard while looking at the Normandy through a large view screen. There were screens everywhere, at different stations, three view screens on the front left, a large front screen allowing the crew to see in front of the ship, and the crew was filled with humans and Asari.

.

" _And what would that be?''_ She heard through the speakers.

.

Her father gently put his hand on her shoulder and nodded for her to answer. Ashley took a deep breath and stepped forward before answering. "Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams, reporting for duty sir".

.

She heard a small cheer come through the speakers, then, looking over to her father she saw him smile and for the first time in years, she smiled back.

.

 **4**

 **.**

" _Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams, reporting for duty sir."_ The entire bridge heard it and what had been a somber crew let loose a cheer. Shepard, however stoic on the outside was overjoyed at the events.

.

"Good to have you back Chief, when can we expect you"? He asked her both relieved and happily.

.

" _Permission to come aboard sir?"_ She asked.

.

"Granted." He responded with a smile.

.

" _Expect us in your briefing room in thirty seconds. Dickson out."_ causing Commander Shepard to turn on his heel and quickly head toward the Normandy conference room.

.

 **5**

 **.**

When the door swished open to the conference room, allowing Shepard entrance his eyes first laid on Ashley, whom he walked over and hugged. When the hug ended he looked over at the man wearing a slick black uniform with white seams, white trimming, white neckline, black boots, with white on the inner thigh of the pants and boots outline. On his right breast was the outline of a gold medallion with five rings clasped together in what use to be a symbol of Earth's old Olympic games.

.

The man had light brown hair that reached his middle neck and wore a light beard. He stood with his back straight, hands clasped in front of him.

.

Looking back at Ashley he noticed she was in a similar uniform with red instead of white and an animal inside the medallion outline.

.

"Commander Shepard, a pleasure to meet you. It seems you made quite the impression on both my wife and daughter. It took me fighting off a Turian invasion of Sanxi to make such an impression." Ashley's father told him.

.

"Killing a few dozen Krogan and a few hundred geth tends to gain attention." Shepard said with an even expression.

.

"Impressive, just remember, unless you are inclined to join this party for life, get your kicks above the waistline." he said getting an unceremonious "Oh my god" from Ashley.

.

"I'll do my best sir." Shepard told the older man.

.

"If she's like her mother I'll wish you luck."

.

Ashley, hearing her father's retort swiftly left the room. "Joseph Dickson, Captain of the Black Knights Armada Flagship, Divine Legacy." He said extending his hand.

.

Shepard clasped the hand with his own in greeting "Commander John Shepard, in command of the Systems Alliance Stealth Recognizance Vessel Normandy."

.

"Commander, we need to talk. There are things in this galaxy that are stirring." Dickson said as he released the Commander's hand and walked up to the window.

.

"You mean the Reapers." Commander Shepard replied confidently.

.

"Those are an annoyance, yes. I have a feeling you will deal with them; and make no mistake you will have my support. What I am referring to is something that has spent many years building. When this is over, when you end the threat Saren poses, I will select two recruits from your ground team to complete specialized training." Dickson told Shepard stoically.

.

"I find it hard to see anything worse than galactic extinction." Shepard retorted in the same tone.

.

"Galactic extinctions are normally clean and well orchestrated. Temporal incursions are simply messy, and while I'm capable of stopping the incursions I'm too old to do anything more than run passive interference." Dickson told Shepard unmoved.

.

"I take it Ashley will be one of these recruits?" Shepard deducted, coming to stand beside the man while looking out the window.

.

"She will be, yes. The other is undetermined. I have already contacted Admiral Hackett. The two of us have shared a good relationship over the years, and he agrees with my plans." Dickson informed Shepard.

.

"What type of training will she go through?" Shepard asked as they looked over the planet.

.

"Officer's training, specialization training, space battle tactics, science and engineering. Her partner will go through something similar. They will both come back stronger officers than before." The older man replied.

.

"What's the mission?" Shepard asked quickly.

.

"Classified, need to know basis. What I can tell you is that I have agents repairing damage to the timelines the individual disrupts as I repair the space around the incursions. I need a specialized crew to end the threat. The only thing I need is a trained command crew for the ship." Dickson told the Commander.

.

"How does one go creating a temporal incursion? I thought that was theoretical." Shepard asked as they continued to look out the window.

.

"I was the first born of the last born Prince of the Shadow Empire. The Lortsnians as a species are powerful, add my human upbringing and title the possibilities are infinite. Space is empty energy, the proper manipulation of that energy can allow one to travel both time and dimensions of existence. My agents and I protect the earth realms from damage done by reckless incursions." Dickson explained. "And no, Ashley doesn't know the specifics yet; I would appreciate it if that fact remained until after the Saren incident." Dickson completed his rant.

.

"Could you stop the Reapers?" the commander asked hopefully.

.

"Yes." Dickson answered, not looking at the commander.

.

"But you won't." he responded as a statement.

.

"Protecting the earth is my responsibility. Protecting the galaxy is yours. You have a destiny. Anyone with half a brain can figure out what you are working to accomplish here. Stay the course Commander, never back down, and you will never fail." The older man responded looking the commander in the eye.

.

"Understood sir."


	9. Chapter 9: Politics

**Chapter 9: Politics**

After ordering the Divine Legacy back to a planet he referred to as Naboo, Shepard agreed to give Dickson a ride back to the Citadel so he and Ashley could catch up.

Shepard had to admit, Ashley looked happy to have her father back and he could tell how much alike they were when he walked in on a discussion between the two of them and Tali about how to weaponize electricity into a gun. The conversation, filled with talk about electricity being held together by something-tons and some such, possible adaptations and issues with mass effect drivers, and cooling mechanisms was tiring. Then the discussion came to using element zero to create the charge. The part that amazed Shepard was that Tali was just as animated as the other two about the practicality or impracticality of the ideas.

When he had come back Dickson had completely stripped a Carnifax hand cannon, including the core components and was teaching Tali and Ashley how to assemble some type of weapon without using modern technology. It was bizarre to watch the girls ask questions about unknown technology while Dickson's enthusiasm had seemingly rubbed off on them.

"Now remember, if you place the focussing lenses incorrectly the gun will become electrified and the power core will overload before exploding when you pull the trigger. In a more lethal weapon the gun will simply explode. This is why we keep the side and back open during assembly, then run scans on the alignment." Dickson explained to the women with a grin.

"But couldn't we adapt the internal design to shorten the length that the energy needed to travel after passing through the lense?" Tali asked while making a slow cutting motion with her finger across an area of the barrel.

"Draw me a diagram and we'll try it." Dickson replied with a smile.

"Could we do the same thing with say, an energy weapon?" Ashley asked.

"Indeed, but that is a bit more complicated than lasers and electromagnetism. Remember, the world is your sandbox, don't be afraid to play in it." he told the two young women.

The Commander smiled as he watched, having a good feeling about the future.

.

 **2**

 **.**

By the time they had reached the Citadel, Dickson had taken his leave to deal with a matter of importance while Shepard had taken Ashley and Garrus to meet the Council.

Ashley had seemed to grow accustomed to wearing the Black Knights duty uniform her father had given her along with her pistol while Garrus wore his Turian light armor with his sniper rifle on his back. Shepard dutifully wore his Systems Alliance duty uniform.

The council chambers were tense, the group had just been told the Normandy had been grounded and a shouting match ensued. Udina was particularly perturbed by Ashley being out of uniform and not wearing her mandated glove.

Udina had eventually sold out the Normandy crew for political means, causing an uproar from the crew. The hearing was public and political opinion was split to the public.

"Councillors. I have it on good authority there may be another threat connected to ending the threat of Saren quickly." the Commander said quickly before the councillors could cut the transmission.

"What, more Reapers?" Councillor Sparatus mocked.

"No sir, I recently had a conversation with Ashley's father, Joseph Dickson. He explained that there was another threat out there and that he was recruiting. He said that the Reapers were a nuisance, that a more immediate threat was lurking." the commander said, making a last ditch effort.

"What evidence is there of this threat?" Councillor Valern asked quickly, ready to end the conversation.

"He said the bulk was classified, however if we wanted to involve ourselves in the local investigation that we could look at spatial anomalies centered around several planets. There would be unusual traces of antimatter and some unknown metals in that local area." Shepard told them, pushing in hopes of gaining some support.

"This council will not…" Sparatus began before being cut off.

"I will have the STG look into the evidence provided. If evidence is confirmed action will be taken." Valern said looking at the Commander.

The other two councillors looked at the Salarian oddly before all of them flashed out of sight.

As the councillors flashed out of sight Udina looked smugly at Shepard before eyeing Ashley suspiciously and walking off. As the elevator slowly lowered through the tower Joker's voice echoed through the Commander's omni-tool.

Looking down at the holographic wrist device they listened as the pilot told them that Captain Anderson wanted to see them at Chora's Den as soon as they were able.

When the group got to Chora's Den they were surprised to not only see Anderson blinking slowly but also Dickson and Councillor Valern in a heated discussion about radiation, spatial energy, and the viability of artificially created spatial anomalies. Anderson slowly looked at them and shrugged before looking back at the heated conversation going on over a data padd and omni-tool.

"I told you it's not possible, antimatter can not be created and controlled in a localized space in such a manner. It has to be a naturally occurring threat." Valern argue animatedly.

"It powers my damn ship, you can create it in a localized field and cause a matter/antimatter reaction. The problem is containment. This shows all signs of an engine breach and explosion or a star exploding." Dickson responded taking the cigarette looking butt out of his mouth.

"Regardless, the fact that someone would try to combine it with another volatile element without proper containment is troubling at best." Valern said, not happy about the reports he was reading.

"Agreed, that's why this Saren mess needs to end. I need the people for the command crew so I can end this while you prepare for any issues that may arise." Dickson responded looking down at his own reports.

"Agreed. Commander Shepard…" the Salarian said without looking up. "...authorizing the release of Normandy to follow Saren. Mission is now an elimination mission, terminate Saren on sight. Get back to your ship, be ready as soon as the clamps release. We'll deal with Udina, leave quickly." Valern said never looking up from his reading.

As they left all Shepard could think about was a joke about a human navy captain, Salarian Dalatrass, and a Lortsnian general walking into a bar.


	10. Chapter 10: Ilos

**Chapter 10: Ilos**

 _War for the Realms: From Heroes to Horrors:_

 _Originally, the group known as the Four Horsemen were content with protecting Earth, but when their youngest member was injured they began leaving a path of destruction throughout the galaxy. Any warlord who tried to gain territory was decimated. In the end, the threat of possibly provoking the group was enough to deter any ambitions the warlords may have had._

 **1**

As Ashley entered Shepherd's quarters she noticed the man looked tired. Shepard sat in his alliance t-shirt and loose pants and boots, looking at his holographic screen. When Ashley entered she noticed the bags under his eyes.

"Are you alright Commander?" Ashley asked as she approached.

"I'm fine, just tired." Shepard responded while closing the computer screen. "There's a lot going on". He continued. "Sometimes, I just wonder why things couldn't be a bit more simple." he concluded.

"Sometimes the journey is enough." she told him as she sat on his bed.

"But what if it isn't?" He asked, getting up and walking over to the bed.

"Then look to your family, what are you fighting for? Would they be proud of you?" Ashley asked him.

"Mom was always proud, even if our relationship is strained." Shepard admitted solemnly.

"Then perhaps that is all the justification you need." Ashley told him with a smile.

"Experience?" Shepard asked with a small smile of his own as he sat down.

"Experience." she answered back with a smile.

.

MEMEME

.

Several minutes later across the galaxy, a meditating Joseph Dickson opened his eyes. A new Lortsnian had been born.

.

 **2**

 **.**

The flight to Ilos was fast and when they arrived there was debris around the planet with the Divine Legacy hovering in the debris.

"Commander, message from the Divine Legacy; they say to get your ground crew on the ground. Saren is already there."

"Take us in Joker." the Commander ordered.

"You'll never make it!" Presley piped up. "To make that drop you need at least a hundred meters, that is only twenty. " Pressley told them.

"We don't have any choice, the next closest clearing is over a hundred meters away." Kaiden yelled from the copilot's seat.

"It's not possible to hit that drop without casualties!" Presley continued to argue.

"Do we have a choice?" Ashley called back from another station.

"I can do it!" the pilot yelled over them.

"Joker?" Commander Shepard asked again.

"I can do it!" he told them aggressively.

"You heard the man! Ashley, Tali, gear up and meet me at the Mako!" Shepard confirmed as he turned and walked out of the CIC.

.

 **3**

 **.**

Joker made it happen, the Mako was down and not far from the opening of the Prothean compound. The group used the Mako to mow through the Geth resistance, jumping boulders and running over bushes.

When the group pulled up to a heavy door leading into a compound of some sort. The outside was covered in statues and foliage, denoting how long it had been since anyone had entered the building.

"Dad, can Ex override the controls?" Ashley asked into her helmet communicator.

A second later the door swished open.

"How did you know he was listening?" Tali asked as they walked back to the Mako.

"He always listens. If we talk into an electronic device he knows." Ashley told her.

"Your father can hack Alliance communications?" Shepard asked concerned.

"Handy, perhaps next he'll hack the Citadel." Tali said as she strapped into her seat.

"Don't tempt him." Shepard told her. "Let's roll." he said as he accelerated the mako down the path provided.

As Shepard started guiding the Mako down the large hallway he could have sworn he heard a soft voice in his communications say "too late".

As they sped down the corridor the mako surprisingly came into little resistance. That changed however, when Shepard slammed on the breaks. A force field snapped up in front of the vehicle, preventing further movement.

When the group exited the mako to investigate a door slid open, allowing them access to an elevator. As they entered the room opposite the elevator and turned the corner a light blue hologram of an unknown creature, flickering in and out with a slight distortion, popped up in front of them.

" _You are not Prothean. But you are not a machine, either. This eventuality was one of many that was anticipated. This is why we sent our warning through the beacons."_ the creature stated _._

"Looks like some kind of VI program, pretty badly damaged." Tali answered.

" _I do not sense the taint of indoctrination upon any of you. Unlike the other that passed recently. Perhaps there is still hope."_ the program continued _._

"Wait a minute. How can I understand you? Why aren't you speaking the Prothean language?" Tali jumped in.

" _I have been monitoring your communications since you arrived at this facility. I have translated my output into a format you will comprehend."_ the VI explained to her.

" _My name is Vigil, you are safe here, for the moment. But that is likely to change, soon, nowhere will be safe."_ Vigil explained.

"Are you some type of Artificial Intelligence program." Shepard asked the damaged program.

" _I am an advanced non-organic analysis system with personality imprints from Ksad Ishan, chief overseer of the Ilos Research Facility."_

"Why did you bring me here?" Shepard asked impatiently.

" _You must break a cycle that has existed for millions of years. But to stop it you must understand_ _or you will make the same mistakes we did."_ Vigil explained patiently. " _The citadel is the heart of your civilization and the seat of government. As it was with us and as it has been with every civilization that came before us. But the Citadel is a trap, the station is actually an enormous mass relay, one that links to dark space, the empty void beyond the galaxy's the citadel relay is activated, the Reapers will pour through, and all you know will be destroyed."_ the virtual intelligence continued.

"Well shit." Ashley supplied getting a glance from Tali.

" _If you do not act soon, excrement will be all that is left of your civilization"_ the intelligence responded, earning a grunt from Shepard.

" _Our leaders were dead before we knew we were under attack. Communications and transportation across our empire were crippled. Each star system was isolated, cut off from the others. Easy prey for the Reaper fleets."_ Vigil explained.

"Galactic extinctions are clean, and normally well orchestrated." Shepard quoted to the machine, getting an odd look from his companions.

" _Indeed. Over the next decades the Reapers systematically obliterated our people. System by system, world by world, they methodically wiped us out."_

"Tell me what I need to do." Shepard told the program forcefully.

" _The Conduit is the key. Before the invasion we protheans were on the cusp of unlocking the mysteries of mass relay technology. Ilos was a top secret facility. Here researchers worked to create a small-scale version of a mass relay. One that linked directly to the Citadel; the hub of the mass relay network."_

"The conduit's not a weapon, it's a backdoor to the citadel." Tali stated for the group.

"So we get to the Citadel through the conduit. What then?" Shepard asked.

" _The conduit gives him access to the Citadel and the Keepers. The Keepers are controlled by the Citadel, before each invasion a signal is sent through the station compelling the Keepers to activate the Citadel Relay. After decades of feverish study the scientists found a way to alter this signal. Using the Conduit they made their way to the Citadel and made the alterations to the signal. This time, when Sovereign sent the signal to the Citadel the Keepers ignored it. The Reapers are trapped in dark space."_ Vigil explained.

"Unless Saren gets to the Citadel first." Ashley responded.

" _Correct. He will override the stations defenses allowing Sovereign to override the stations controls and the cycle of extinction will begin again."_ Vigil explained once more.

"I'll take Sovereign down, somehow." Shepard told Vigil.

" _There is a data disc in my console, take a copy when you go. When you reach the Citadel upload it into the Citadel's master control unit, then you should have a chance against Sovereign."_ Vigil said, causing a drawer to open under the system.

"Thank you, we'll stop Sovereign." Shepard told the Virtual intelligence as he picked up the disc.

" _Then go, Saren is almost to the Conduit, you must hurry if you are to end the cycle."_ Vigil told them, getting a nod from Shepard.

After the group was back in the elevator another hologram appeared beside vigil, whose hologram had cleared.

" _I am not sure this deception is the wisest course of action."_ Vigil voiced to the other hologram.

" _Perhaps not, but it is necessary. The Remnant must remain hidden for the time being."_ the other hologram emphasized.

" _I only hope that when we reveal ourselves it is not too late"._

" _As do I my friend; as do I."_


	11. Chapter 1 The Citadel and Aftermath

**Chapter 11: The Citadel**

When the Mako emerged from the relay statue on the presidium, the fall was cushioned by two Geth underneath. Thankfully the harnesses held and the group of Commander Shepard, Tali'Zorah, and Chief William's emerged relatively unharmed.

"Why do we let you drive again?" Tali asked as Shepard helped her down from the turned over mako.

"It wasn't my fault this time," Shepard answered as he put her down and reached for Ashley.

"Group hallucinations. We all have dreams of him driving sensibly." Ashley put in before he put her down.

"We went through a relay in a mako," Shepard stated as he pulled out his HMWA VI assault rifle.

"Thank the spirits Joker drives the ship," Tali said ignoring him as she pulled out her Avalanche X shotgun.

"Shepard would probably crash the Normandy into a planet." Ashley said detaching her Torrent IX assault rifle.

"Hardee har har, let's move," Shepard ordered, ending his character assassination.

The group hadn't gotten far before they were met by the geth and husks. While the rank and file geth were posing little threat the Prime's were causing them to find cover more often than they would have liked.

After entering the elevator the group set the controls to take them to the top of the tower.

"Shepard, the arms are closing," Tali stated as she watched the scene.

"I know, Palin just ordered the defense force to stop Sovereign from getting into the arms at all costs." Shepard answered calmly.

"Is that a cruiser?" Ashley asked as she watched the Turian ship move into what looked like a collision course, only to get shot down before it could reach the target.

The group watched on as Sovereign wrapped its arms around and latched onto the Citadel Tower. Before anyone could say anything the elevator shuddered to a stop, trapping the group in the shaft.

"Well, I guess we do this the hard way," Shepard commented. "Mag boots on, we're going outside." he told the two women.

After giving them a second to activate their boots Shepard drew his pistol and proceeded to blow out the glass of the tower.

After a short climb the group was able to get to a flat area of exhaust plane. Moments later an elevator flew down the shaft they were not long ago inside, smashing the elevator currently stuck in the shaft. Throwing grenades the group dove for what little cover they had as the geth opened fire with pulse rifles and rockets.

"We don't have time for this shit," Ashley muttered as she drew back a panel on her pistol before hitting a couple of buttons underneath.

After sliding the panel back in place and seeing that both Tali and Shepard had popped out of cover and were found on the enemy Ashley did the same with her pistol causing the flashlight head on two rocket troopers and a prime to disintegrate.

In the confusion, Shepard and Tali finished off the other Geth forces.

"Do I want to know what other toys your father gave you for Christmas. Perhaps a doomsday device?" Shepard quipped as they jogged along, bludgeoning a Krogan warlord with bullets as they went.

"Sorry Skipper, I left my Nova Bombs at home today." Ashley retorted as she jogged.

Getting to a corner the group slowed, noticing they were at the Citadel's exterior defensive grid. Getting momentary all clear Tali got to work activating the numerous defensive towers and guns littering the surface. As she was working Geth and Krogan started pouring into the area via dropship. Fortunately, they weren't outnumbered for long as Tali was able to get the defense grid activated, destroying other geth and dropship alike and allowing the trio to dispose of the Krogan.

When the group reached the council chambers there were met by seven Geth and a Turian at a platform typing on a keyboard.

After quickly dispatching the Geth they approached Saren on the tower.

"Shepard, I was beginning to worry you wouldn't make it. I'm about to open the relay!" Saren said before jumping on his hoverboard and throwing a grenade at the group, causing them to dive away.

"Tali! Overload!" Shepard ordered. He was surprised to see not only one overload hit Saren but a second.

"Tali showed me how to use it," Ashley said as she brought up the pistol she and her father had been working on and fired.

Shepard and Tali followed suit, peppering Saren with bullets and electricity while dodging biotic attacks and grenades.

Saren then turned to Ashley, firing at her with his rifle. "So, the disgrace of the Alliance follows Shepard." Saren taunted firing off another shot. "I wonder if you will be a failure like your grandfather, or a deserter like your father," he said causing Ashley to take another shot which Saren dodged. "Judging by your accuracy I have to wonder if Shepard only keeps you around to warm his bed."

The last comment brought Ashley out of cover, holding down the trigger of her Torrent while advancing on Saren with murder in her eyes. Fortunately, a stray shot hit his hoverboard before her rifle overheated causing him to tumble to the ground. When Saren tried to stand up he was met with a grenade to the face, thrown by Shepard, sending him flying through the glass and down to a lower floor unmoving.

As the three of them approached Shepard gave Tali the order to go down to the lower level and make sure Saren was dead. Shepard then went up to the master control panel that Saren previously stood at and opened his Omni-tool, quickly downloading the data file Vigil gave them. After the file was downloaded Shepard re-opened communications, only to hear an S.O.S from the Destiny Ascension.

" _...is the Destiny Ascension! We are in need of immediate assistance, our main drives are offline and our shields are down to forty percent. The Council is on board, I repeat the Council is on board "_ the Asari captain announced.

As Shepard was about to reply, another voice came over the speaker.

" _Normandy to the Citadel, Normandy to the Citadel, please tell me that's you Commander."_ Joker's voice came in.

"I'm here Joker."

" _We got the distress call. Commander, I'm sitting here in the Aurora Sector with the entire Arcturus fleet. We can save the Ascension! Just open the relays and we'll send the cavalry in!"_ Joker informed his superior.

"Opening the relays now Joker, we need to save the Ascension...at all costs." Commander Shepard told Joker as he fed the commands into the command terminal.

As the relays opened, bringing the Arcturus fleet screaming through, many forming a protective barrier around the Destiny Ascension, a machine with the likeness of a Turian kept up from the hole Saren created when he fell minutes earlier.

"This Station Is Mine!" the machine boomed.

The android shot a red beam out of its eye causing the trio to scatter to prevent getting cut in half by the beam.

"I thought I said to make sure he was dead!" Shepard yelled at Tali as he shot the advanced hopper as it was traversing the ceiling.

"I did!" she yelled back, shooting an overload at the machine.

"Really! He looks quite alive!" Shepard yelled back, chucking a grenade at the moving target.

"There was a hole!" she yelled again as she fired off her shotgun.

"Not big enough!"

"I have a shotgun!"

"Then shoot it!"

"CHILDREN FOCUS!" Ashley yelled over the squabbling couple.

While the bickering was going on Ashley was running around shooting her electrified pistol at the android that had deemed her a threat. The creature was letting out a yell while shooting a red beam at Ashley as it jumped around. Fortunately, the electricity Ashley had pelted the machine with had weakened its shields considerably. So that when Tali shot another overload at it and Shepard lobbed a grenade the machine's shields collapsed.

The attention off her Ashley pulled out her last option. She sprinted across the room, jumping over the back of the machine and sticking a small patch of c-4 to its back.

"Fire in the hole!" she yelled as she pushed the button on the detonator, sending fire and mechanical parts in all directions.

As the machine flew apart Sovereign loosened its grip on the station as red energy raced across its surface. Seeing the opening Joker piloted the Normandy through the battle and flew past the Reaper; firing Normandy's guardian lasers as he went.

The Lazers pierced the underbelly of the ship sending explosions through the reaper construct bringing cheers from those both within the Normandy and Shepard's team on the Citadel.

As the group on the station began turning to leave Shepard spotted a piece of Sovereign flying at them fast.

"Incoming! Everybody out! Go!" Shepard yelled causing Tali and Ashley to run for the exit, however before they could get there the piece of Reaper hit the tower.

 **Chapter 12: Aftermath**

"Ashley!" "Shepard!" "Commander!" were the shouts being echoed through the wreckage of the council chambers. Captain Anderson, Joseph Dickson, and a recently found Tali'Zorah yelled as they rummaged through the wreckage.

"DAD!" the group heard from under a chunk of wall to their left.

"Ashley!" Dickson called back as he and Anderson ran toward the large piece of wreckage. "David! Lift!" as the two men grabbed either side, lifting it far enough up that Ashley could slide out, lunging with her last energy, forward on one leg, and into Tali's arms.

"Ash! You're leg!" Tali yelled as she lowered her friend to the floor of the station.

Looking down Dickson noticed that Ashley's armor had broken off and part of it implanted itself in her lower calf.

"Doctor Chakwas! Over here!" Captain Anderson yelled as Dickson pried open the rest of the leg area of the armor.

As Chakwas got to the wound Dickson's hands were on either side of the wound. "Chakwas, pull it out slowly," he told her.

"It could severe the muscle if you pull it out." the doctor told him quickly.

"I'm not a healer woman I can't hold this together forever! Pull the damn ceramic before she bleeds out!" Dickson retorted as he began to sweat.

Reluctantly Chakwas did as she was told, and along with Tali and Captain Anderson watched in amazement as the skin healed as the ceramic was pulled further out.

When the ceramic was gone and the wound shut Dickson let loose his grip on his daughter's calf and allowed himself to breathe.

"My abilities are not known to the masses, I'd appreciate it if you kept this between the four of us," Dickson stated as he wiped the sweat from his brow; getting a nod from the other three.

Dickson looked down at his now unconscious daughter, resting in the arms of Tali'Zorah. "I didn't have the energy to heal the muscle, she will need medical attention," he told the doctor as he held his daughter's armored hand.

"Captain! We found him!" a soldier yelled from across the room as he helped Commander Shepard limp from some rubble.

Captain Anderson got up from his kneeling position, and along with Doctor Chakwas jogged over toward the Commander, who had been sat down by a pillar. Before Shepard could ask any questions he had a needle in his neck, then all went dark.

 **2**

It was an interesting mix standing on the citadel tower after the battle. The three councilors, Captain Anderson, Ambassador Udina, and Commander Shepard with his left arm in a sling.

"Ambassador, Commander, Captain; we are gathered here today to recognize the enormous contributions that Humanity has made in the war with Sovereign and his geth." Councilor Tevos announced.

"Many humans gave their lives in the battle for the Citadel, brave and courageous soldiers who gave their lives so that we -the council- may live." Councilor Valern continued.

"Humanity is shown it is ready to serve as both a leader and Protectors of the Galaxy. You have proved you are worthy to join our ranks and stand beside us as members of the Citadel Council." Tevos proclaimed in a stoic fashion.

"Counselor on behalf of humanity and the Alliance I humbly accept your offer." Ambassador Udina said steadily.

"Given all that has happened, I'm sure your recommendation will carry a great deal of weight Commander. Do you support any particular candidate?" Tevos asked curiously.

"We need some with the courage to stand up for what he believes in someone like Captain Anderson?" Shepard told them in a spirited fashion.

"I think it's an inspired choice, we will welcome him with open arms should he accept." Tevos responded almost happily.

"I am honored as Humanities counselor I would do everything in my power to help the Galaxy rebuild." Anderson replied.

"Sovereign's defeat marks a New Beginning for both the council and Humanity." Councilor Sparatus spoke up, acknowledging the choice.

"Sovereign was only the Vanguard, the Reaper Fleet is still coming, hundreds maybe thousands of ships, and I will find a way to stop them," Shepard said between turning and walking away.

"Shepherds right. Humanity is ready to do its part. United with the rest of the council we have the strength to take on any challenge!" Anderson said emphatically as he smacked his right fist into his left hand.


End file.
